Games Galore

My favorite two board games when I was a kid were Battleship and Clue. I’d play either one with anyone who was willing to join me. Both games encouraged not only logical reasoning skills, but they also involved imagination and conversation among players.

As a parent, I taught my kids to play Battleship and Clue. Once in a while I could get them to join me for a quick round, but their hands-down favorite game whenever their buddies showed up at our house was Monopoly—which they sometimes left spread out across the floor for days as the game continued over several visits. I still have several versions of Monopoly in our basement, one of which is aptly themed for the Friends TV show.

What better way is there to while away a fun afternoon with friends than playing games? At any age or stage of life. And, truly, any game will do.

We do not stop playing because we grow old. We grow old because we stop playing.

Benjamin Franklin

Research shows that the benefits of playing board games include a positive impact on knowledge base, cognitive function and anxiety levels. Added to all that: social connection fostered by being with other people, sharing an activity and creating joint memories that can last a lifetime.

Even video games, which may or may not be desirable depending on how much screen time you’re getting in other areas of life, have been found to have positive benefits on learning, mental health and social wellbeing. Of course, video games have come a long way since the early days of Donkey Kong and Tetris. Many of them have been found to promote social environments that specifically are beneficial for individuals who may be otherwise socially inhibited and anxious, allowing them to experience community online.

In an earlier post, we discussed how video games can be an important way for teen males to bond, as Lydia Denworth wrote in her book Friendship: The Evolution, Biology, and Extraordinary Power of Life’s Fundamental Bond. Smaller screen games like Wordle or Spelling Bee can also provide not only some friendly competition but also connection between friends and family who can share their scores via the apps’ sharing button, even though each person completes the puzzles on their own.

As for me, aside from my daily Wordle and Spelling Bee addictions, I prefer to play offline since my work brings me to my screen-time max. I’ve found some new games besides Clue and Battleship to add to my arsenal of favorites. Wingspan is a relatively newly developed game that I discovered during the Covid-19 pandemic. In addition to the countless hours of fun it gave our family, we learned a lot about birds! I’ve also been learning Mah Jongg from my mom, although every time I think I have the rules down, she throws me a curveball.

During a recent visit from her new home in Florida, my mother-in-law invited her former Bridge group from this area to my house for a quick session. I was struck by how much this lovely group of women were truly energized by each other’s company, despite being pretty serious about playing Bridge.

Whatever activities you are enjoying this summer, don’t forget to incorporate play. Indoors or outdoors, active or sedentary, home-made or store-bought—all games provide a great basis for sorely needed social interaction and fun downtime.