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The Importance of Playing Games

The Importance of Playing Games

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I am talking about board games, word games, educational games, card games, video games, and computer games, PlayStation, Nintendo and Xbox.  I do not want to leave out golf, bowling, team sports and a variety of individual sports.  I should mention my favorite is bicycling.  You may say that some sports are not games, but they all have attributes that help us grow mentally and physically.  Everyone throughout their lives play games. 

Depending on interest, skill level and if participants are available or required determines what games we play.  More and more now we play games just to occupy time.  It is entertainment!  Is it a waste of time or do we learn something?

Children are taught to play games at an early age.  Games teach children patience, social interaction, negotiation, strategy, how to win and lose gracefully, mental stimulation, mental and physical confidence that keep us healthy.  Games attract us because they are fun!  Children learn about goals and the steps necessary to win a game.  Whether it is concentration, paying attention to details such as rules, your opponent, or learning new skills.   No matter how old you are, playing games are important.  It is mentally stimulating, keeps you engaged and keeps you psychologically fit.  This is particularly important as we become older to stave off aging diseases such as Alzheimer’s or Dementia.

Team sports and individual sports are important for physical and mental well being.  In addition, team sports teach us how to work together toward a common long term goal. Individual and team sports keep us in good mental and physical condition.  Physical activity is excellent for stress reduction.  Some sports like golf are good for social and business activities.  Most Games and sports involve social interaction which teaches us how to get along.

Most video and computer games are individual in nature.  Some enjoy playing games.  Although there may be little social interaction, they certainly have the same characteristics as other games.  In fact, some video games are noted for their special skills appropriate for surgery or other fine motor skill activities.  Some video games can be addictive and self absorbing!  A balance of games is important in one’s life.

Playing games is important for all the positive traits we learn from playing them.  The most important is learning how to win and apply or adapt that knowledge to other parts of our lives.  Games are used for training in the workplace.  In some foreign countries, education includes problem solving games to reinforce math and science theories with excellent results.  Team sports teach the additional element of learning how to win as a team.  What do you think about games?  Is it a waste of time or do you benefit from playing them?

Photo by:  dbking

Comments

    • You are absolutely right! I love the secondary interaction that goes on when you play games. After only 4 months, I still love blogging.

  2. Games are definitely needed, not just for kids but for adults as well! Some games stimulate your intellect, some your body – one should have a decent mix of both.

  3. I love games of all types. Well, not much on the video games, but I love board games and all kinds of sports. I think they can teach kids so much also.

    Actually, I am on my way out the door to play my husband in racquetball right now. Wish me luck!

    • Thank s for the comment. Did you win? or did you let him win? I hate that, but I couldn’t resist. Aside from all the benefits of actually playing games or sports, we become better because of the participation. Good luck.

    • Thank you for your comment. I remember going to parties and playing games. When I was a child, many weekends my friends and I would play games. As an father, I would teach my children how to play cards, chess and many board games like monopoly. We would spend hours doing that. The best part of those days was talking while playing with my children.

  5. You know, this is a really good post in that it’s recommending something that has historically been within the domain of kids, as an action for adults. I totally agree, and see games as a way to stay mentally stimulated, have diversity of thoughts, “escape” from pressures, and also in some cases to socially interact. I have seen my elderly parents buying Sudoku booklets, and it’s for these types of reasons.

    • Games are not just for kids! Kids should play a lot of games for what they can learn by playing with other kids and adults. Thank you for the comment.

    • Thank you for your comment. As an adolescent, I spent many a weekend with friends playing board games particularly during snow storms. As an adult, many parties used games as a way to make them more interesting. Games and sports has shaped my personalty and many other traits.

  7. I love playing games. They relax me, they make me think. They are an important social element. I’d rather play game with my friends than watch TV. Great post!

    • I totally agree. I fondly remember many afternoons I shared with friends playing games. I think the social aspect is probably the most important.

  8. Great post- games do teach us a lot. I especially liked the board game called “Life” when I was growing up. Monopoly and “Clue” were fun too.

    As an adult, I find playing games at parties really makes the party more interesting.. some of my favourites are Cranium and Taboo (something that I recently played).
    Games help develop team work skills, and sometimes can show you who the person “really” is (e.g. are they a poor sport?)

    • Thanks, I agree I enjoy playing games at parties as well. I also remember my afternoons playing monopoly as a kid. Games keep us engaged, as we get older that is important.

  9. Playing board games is really important for kids. It teaches them how to take turns, that it’s OKAY if they don’t win, and the importance of rules. Just this weekend my 5-year-old nephew played a board game with the rest of us and it was all going great until he realized he wasn’t going to win, then he crawled under the table! Though we all felt bad about his hurt feelings, it was something he needed to learn how to deal with- defeat. An important lesson in life.

    • Thank you. You are so right. The social interaction among and between friends or participants is equally important. What is interesting to me is how this can shape your personality, work habits and much more.

  10. I will choose table games any day over watching TV together, or even watching a movie together. Sitting silently staring in the same direction (TV or movie) does not bring on the interaction that games do. Games also bring some people out of their shells and give others the opportunity to know them better.
    Table games have always been a staple of our vacations and a source of much laughter.

    • Thanks for your comment. Some of my best memories of times with friends and family were playing games. Many winter (New York) afternoons were spent playing Monopoly, Chess, Checkers and cards. This is still true, although the games have changed.

  11. I am a big game lover myself. I really enjoy card games like, Uno, gin, euchre, and cribbage. The latter two are really good for exercising the mind.

    One of these days I fully intend to learn bridge.

    I love a good game of chess, too, but my kids don’t enjoy it — so I am stuck playing against the computer (which always beats me, of course).

    All the best,

    Len
    Len Penzo dot Com

    • Thanks for your comment. Games are great because we enjoy ourselves and learn so much while we have fun.

    • Thanks. Games and sports were a big part of growing up for me. They may have shaped my competitive nature and certainly influenced my personality.

    • So true! Strategy is such a big part of games. The funny part of learning from games is you do not realize you are learning something. I don’t want to call it education and ruin the whole idea of games!

  14. As a competitive person, I’ve found that playing board games has helped me grow and accept when other people win. A challenge I’m still mastering is to celebrate WITH them in their win. (difficult to celebrate when you lose…but that’s how you mature as a player) I see some people who get really bent out of shape with a game, and it’s just not healthy.

    • I don’t know if I can celebrate with their win, but I can find something to enjoy such as it was a good game.

  15. I think you are definitely right about this one. I am personally a fan of some of the different board games out there that let you try a variety of strategies and tactics. I have actually written about a couple of them and how they relate to business and life.

    • Thanks for your comment. I really believe that 50% of one’s education occurs outside the classroom. Participation in team sports, individual sports, playing games, social organizations such clubs, student government and fraternities/sororities. All of these things shape our judgment, personality and character.

  16. Of course, I feel differently. Besides games are relaxing and we learn strategy and lots of other things.