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Theresa's Tidbits: Games have many positive aspects
Theresa Seraphim
for Spotlight
A television commercial that aired several years ago, on the subject of addiction, showed a group of people playing a board game. One woman, who was so totally into the game she began bossing the others, scooped up her winnings and crowed about her victory, while her table mates began leaving.
“One more round!” she yelled enthusiastically; then, seeing nobody else was around, she asked, “Hey! Guys!”
That, of course, is not the ideal situation in which to engage in playing board games. However, it doesn’t mean such games have no value. Indeed, several potential positive aspects of games come to mind.
First of all, board games improve the player’s strategy skills. Whether it’s learning how to make business deals in Monopoly or figuring out the location of the destroyer in Battleship, a person is called upon to use their “grey matter” (to use Hercule Poirot’s quaint term for a brain) to devise ways to win.
This provides new spheres of knowledge, and new abilities, bolstering self-confidence. Experts say it also keeps the brain sharp, which can help combat memory loss and dementia.
Perhaps one of the most important positive aspects of games is that of socialization. Sure, one can stick with solitaire, but then how does one learn to play with other people?
Games are meant to teach several vital life lessons:
- have fun – it’s not all work, or shouldn’t be. If you win, go ahead and celebrate (don’t crow – that makes others feel small). If another person wins, congratulate them.
- enjoy the company you’re in – games make a great excuse for being with others and enjoying who they are. Any child expert will say that this socialization helps not only the younger set, but anyone, to learn to practice concepts like sharing and graciousness.
- play fair – This is one of the most important lessons from games, because it is how a person learns that cheating isn’t appropriate and that an honestly-won victory is much more satisfying and confidence-boosting. The flip side of this is, if a fellow player is cheating, it’s important to point it out, since a player needs to play on his or her own merits, and not on subterfuge.
With all this in mind, could there be anything more comforting – or a better way to pass the time on, say, a snowy day – than to sit down and test your skills against others?
Really – is there anything more fun than board games?
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