Board games are a great way to spend time with family and friends. They’re fun, exciting, and provide a wonderful opportunity to socialize. They even make us a little smart as they train our brains.
But have you ever thought that board games can also teach you valuable life lessons? Here are 7 ones that you would not expect.
1. Every decision you make has consequences
…și trebuie să îți asumi în totalitatea responsabilitatea propriilor alegeri. În orice joc de societate, la un moment dat, trebuie să te confrunți cu o decizie ..and you always have to take responsibility for what you choose. In any game, at a certain point, you have to face a difficult decision.
In World Colony, for instance, if you chose the wrong game strategy, you might build fewer word colonies and this means you are a step behind the other players. But that’s okay, because this is a learning opportunity, and next time, you’ll know exactly what is the right decision to make.
During the game, it is always hard to lose but after all, it is just a game and sometimes the failure even puts a smile on your face. In real life it’s pretty much the same: you have to face and accept your decisions and sometimes the breakdowns. The difference is that in real life taking the wrong decisions is a bit more difficult, especially if you take everything too seriously. And here’s the second lesson that board games can teach you:
2. Don’t take things too seriously and don’t be mad!
Sometimes you’re not the lucky one in the game. Or you simply don’t apply the right strategy. In Go, go, Bro, for example, you can lose all your pawns. It’s hard, I know, but that doesn’t stop you from having a memorable fun evening and strong connection with your fellows.
Losing a game is not an obstacle to happiness. It’s great to get engaged during the game but try not to take things too personally, especially failures. Losing a game hurts, I know, but don’t let the anger ruin a nice friends reunion.
After all, life is about living in the present moment, experiencing and evolving. It’s important to follow your dreams, but even more important to enjoy the journey. So don’t take yourself too seriously cause you might miss the best part of the fun.
3. Sometimes, the answer is right in front of your nose…
Do you know that weird feeling when you’re in front of a Crossle board and you can’t make any word with your letters? You make all kinds of combinations in your mind, all unsuccessfully and you get angry because deep down you know that it must be a solution. But you say PASS and let the next player make words.
At the very next moment, you’ve got the solution! But there is nothing you can do now. And yet you’ve learned a precious lesson: that you should always keep it calm and simple cause the answer is right under your nose. It is just waiting for you to find it.
4. Think deep and a few moments ahead others
If you are keen on chess, then you know how crucial it is to anticipate your opponent’s moves. For your moves also you need a rigorous plan. Nothing is random in chess, and so it is in life too. In each game, you have to successfully combine strategic thinking, logic, and anticipation.
Most of the time, it takes a long time to win the game and any wrong move costs you a lot.
Sometimes, if you haven’t thought about your strategy well, you lose valuable pawns. What can you learn from this? That visionary mindset is the key to success in this life.
It’s hard to always be innovative but only thinking out of the box can make a difference and offer you a saving solution. But if you lose, don’t worry, there is always room for improvement. And here is our number 5:
5. Losing means evolution
Not only in chess, but in all the other board games, losing is not a failure. Most of the time, losing the competition leads to a lot of laughs and good moods.
Think about all the card games in which the loser must obey a command. It’s hard to deal with it, but let’s be honest, it’s such fun!…
Afterward, being defeated is not such a big deal. Especially since failures can sometimes help you understand the game better, so you’ll become stronger in the following round and the taste of triumph will feel wonderful.
This lesson is extremely important for younger players. Often children cannot cope with failure, especially at young ages. It is much easier to teach them the lesson of failure through games rather than through words.
You’ll prevent nervous breakdowns, screaming, and tears this way. And what could be more wonderful than seeing your child happy and having learned a valuable lesson?
6. Sometimes bluffing is the only option you have
There are moments in life when you have to take risks if you want to win. And in some cases this means… bluffing. Do you know that stunning card game Food Bluff? When you play, whether you like it or not, you have to “eat” what others “eat”. You may not have the right food cards and bluffing is your only chance. After all, you have nothing to lose. If you are lucky enough, you may even win the round.
You can play this wonderful card game with your kids, it’s really fun. Stay still, it doesn’t encourage them to lie. But it will teach everyone that sometimes it’s okay to play bluff. In some cases, it can be beneficial to keep some things to yourself and reveal to others just what you want them to know about you. It’s a form of self-defense, if I may say so.
7. There is life after screens!
O, yes!… “There is a wonderful life just waiting for you to live it”. This is what I always say to my almost teenage son every time he wants to convince me to buy him computer games.
That’s why I think this lesson is extremely important, especially for the younger generations. Board games are a great way to unplug them. Nowadays there is such a wide range of board games available: from simple card games to some that require complex strategies. And all of them help you connect with people you love, have fun and spend great moments together.
At ROOVI we truly believe that our board games create strong bonds and bring unique moments of happiness. Browse the ROOVI Board Games collection and select marvelous board games for you and your loved ones.
Then let us know in a comment how your experience was and what valuable lessons have you learned from them.
