Countless studies have proven that gaming is actually good for us. Some have found that playing video games helps us with our hand-eye coordination, while others have suggested it plays a vital part in developing an analytical mind. Other studies cite the health benefits of enjoying the escapism oft associated with gaming, and others have suggested its increasingly popular social aspects are beneficial too. So, we know and accept that gaming in general can actually be good for us; but what can we actually learn from playing certain types of games?
Board Games
Board games can teach us things and be useful to know. It is not strictly the style of gaming that people instantly think of, yet many people play board games on digital platforms with friends who are elsewhere. Chess, for instance, is well known for boosting our ability to plan ahead, according to founding father Benjamin Franklin. They say that good chess players are three moves ahead, and analyse their opponent’s possible strategy as much as their own. Playing a lot of chess can hone our ability to plan ahead in many different aspects of life. Moreover, games such as Scrabble can force us to consider a multitude of scenarios. Having to make words from a limited number of letters and fit it on the board improves our ability to think outside the box.
Table Games
Table games include anything that you might find at a casino table – roulette, poker, blackjack, and baccarat being the most popular ones. Playing roulette could help you to improve your ability to make decisions. The chance aspect of the game means that you have to decide what to bet on, and how much to wager. Having to make such decisions with limited information and a degree of risk could lead to you becoming more decisive and more analytical when it comes to the element of risk. Meanwhile, playing baccarat online or offline can give us a multitude of skills associated with deciding on and adopting a strategy. The strategy for baccarat comes from choosing what bets to make. Playing a number of these card and table games could help boost this strategic thinking. For instance, playing card games in real-time settings can help us deal with those elements of tension that we often have to face in other areas of life, including at the workplace.
Video Games
Of course, we can learn a great deal from video games too. As well as the benefits we’ve already mentioned, certain video games can teach us other things. Games such as League of Legends, Call of Duty, and Left for Dead can teach us the power of working together. These games have multiplayer elements that call upon our ability to cooperate in order to succeed. So, playing some video games can help make us more familiar with working as part of a team – and with working as a team leader efficiently. Often the tension rises in the game and there are real-world problems that arise in the cooperative modes. Diffusing this tension is a valuable skill to take into other aspects of life.
Gaming, in all its forms, can teach us many things. Not only do we learn things overtly – such as new words in Scrabble and historical facts in Civilisation – but our minds are shaped by what we play too. Games teach us to plan ahead, to cooperate with one another, to think strategically, and to better make risky decisions. These are all transferable skills we’ll enjoy in all aspects of life.
