Guilt Free Gaming: The World Of Word And Puzzle Games

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 For many of us, the thought of logging onto an online game and shooting up a city of weirdos with our teenagers is a step too far. Sure, who doesn’t love a spin around the Monopoly board, but this just isn’t it.

This is a collaborative post

Still, the bonding experiences that come from playing games with our families and friends are well documented and there are solid reasons why it’s a good idea to start a new pastime if you’re not a particularly keen gaming family yet.

Now, not all of us are wired towards online gaming or even traditional board games, because well - there are just so many other things to do. But, when we consider that playing games together with our families and friends has benefits that may well surprise you, you might think differently.

For example, did you know that playing games together with our families causes the bonding hormones in our brains to fire up and that when we compete with each other in a constructive and fun way, these games become shared experiences that activate our rewards centers too? Just like going to the gym, or achieving goals gives us the right kind of dopamine kick, so to does playing games with the people in our networks that we want to foster relationships with.

So, if you fancy yourself something of an intellectual and can’t quite bring yourself to play the latest edition of the Lord of the Rings board game, never fear - we have all the evidence you need to create the perfect excuse (like you needed one), to get your tribe around the table for a brain-workout.

Enhances memory.

Because puzzle games require you to make strategic moves and placements, you have to recall what you had done prior to the move that you’re currently playing, and because you’ll at some point have to stop to allow for other players to make their moves, and you will also need to learn how to strategically recall what they’ve done, and make your move in relation to that. Still, it’s fun to have a little cheat option, like these word cookie cheats.

Improves brain function.

Puzzle games can improve our cognitive ability as well as memory. This is because as we’re navigating life and the daily decisions that we need to make in order to do that, we rely on a range of cognitive functions to do so. As we work our way through puzzle games, either strategic games, word games, or games of ‘chance’, we exercise our decision-making abilities and properties as well as our ‘executive functions’.

Increases concentration.

One of the biggest issues that millennials experience, is the ability to concentrate properly. Largely driven by our endless use of devices and gadgets that offer a ‘now’ experience, as opposed to experiences that teach us about delayed gratification. We no longer have to plow on in school and figure solutions out, the answers are available immediately with a quick online search.

So there you have it. If you’re a sucker for a puzzle game but needed a legitimate excuse to get your family in on your fix, there it is. But, for the sake of fairness, at least try to figure out video games too.