Reasons to Play Games

Because we will, and with gusto.

Any competitive game pits you against other players, testing your skills, talents, insights and luck to beat them to a goal or just plain smash them. Exhilarating.

Boardgames are also beautiful to the eye and highly tactile. Dexterity games like Floating Floors obviously have a physical element, but there is also the rush of moving your peice into the best spot, the roll of the dice and a good shuffle of the cards.

Cooperative games tax the same skills in a different direction. Awareness of your opponents becomes awareness of your collaborators. What are they doing, what resources do they have, how does that impact you? How to get the best out of the situation, who is the key to victory, who is the reason you’ll survive to the next turn?

As you can see games are also excellent for sharpening the mind.

Strategy, tactics, resource management, observation, these skills and more are used and tested in a good game.

Just as importantly there is reading, counting, comprehension. Rules, points scoring, for some games these are simpler than others. In all games there are challenges to be met.

Need another reason? Social connectivity.

There are a good many solo play games, and other games with that option, Stardew Valley and Wingspan being excellent examples. By and large games are meant to be played with people.

Everyone gathers around a table and plays.

Even if you’re are in a cutthroat game of Munchkin there is still a good deal of social glue in coming together for a shared activity. Even if you’re all there to play the game a whole bunch of other stuff can come up.

You’re already learning a whole bunch of book stuff, rules, history, stories, ideas, are all a part of the board game adventure. And if you’re going to go that far into book learning why not learn something about the people around you while you’re at it?

How people approach a game, competitive or cooperative, speaks volumes about them as a person.

No drinks, dinner, idle conversation that could veer off into dry topics necessary, play a game and find out more.

The richness and diversity of games is exceeded only by that of the people who play them.

So there we go, that's why boardgames rock.

Are we biased? Of course, so is anyone about their hobbies.

Being biased about a beloved past time does not make someone wrong.

And more importantly, if you are ever curious about a hobby give it a go.