Life Skills You Can Practice By Playing Board Games

The deal of the day on Amazon today was for strategy board games. Every time Amazon has deals on strategy board games, I check to see if any of my wish list games are on sale. Today I may have gone a little overboard. Four new games are scheduled to arrive at my house promptly. Too bad they won't make it in time for this evening's game night.

My excitement over this purchase got me thinking about the games we love and some of the life skills we practice as we play them.

Here are a few I thought of:

Communication

Some of the games we play are known as cooperative games. These are games where, instead of players playing against each other, they play as a team against the game. In the game Hanabi, each player can see everyone's cards but their own. It is up to the team mates to help each player learn what their cards are. They can only give certain information about the cards - numbers or colors (i.e. "These cards are blue" or "These cards are two's").

In this game, you have to think before you speak. You have to consider how your words will be interpreted and whether the information you share will be helpful to your team mate. You also have to listen to each other and remember what you are told.

What a great life practice!

Team Work

Another skill that is practiced in cooperative board games is team work. In games like Forbidden Island or Pandemic, the players must discuss what is happening in the game and make decisions together. The players each have special roles that give them advantages that the other players might not have. You have to consider each other's strengths and choose who will take which actions to the benefit of the entire group.

Negotiation

In games like Settlers of Catan or Bohnanza, the players can trade cards. The terms of the trade must be agreed upon by all involved players. I have played these games with people who are greedy and with people who are fair. It is always interesting to see other people's negotiation style and whether it benefits them.

Prioritizing

In many of the more elaborate games we play, such as 7 Wonders, Power Grid, or Agricola, priorities come into play. There are many things to accomplish in these games, but you can't always get everything done that you want to. Is it more important for you to have a baby or to be able to feed your family? Can you acquire more points by playing science cards or by building armies? You have to consider what you have to work with, what your strengths and weaknesses are, and whether your action is worth using a turn for.

Process of Elimination

In the game Love Letter, players try to eliminate each other by knowing which cards the other players hold. The best way to do this is to be attentive to which cards have been played and what moves the other players are making.

Geography

Dare I admit that there are many places in the world I only know of because of board games? Yes, I took geography, and at some point in 8th grade, I had to learn and identify every country in the world, but let's be honest - I only retained about 5% of that knowledge. That might even be an overstatement. Provinces and cities are their own struggle.

Thanks to board games, when I hear the name Stuttgart, my mind automatically pulls up the map of Germany from Thurn and Taxis. I know that Stuttgart is in the dark green section which places it in the southwest of the country. I know the world better because I play board games.

These are only a few of the skills one can practice by playing board games. I could name many others, like money and resource management, patience, and problem-solving.

I think that settles it: everyone should be playing strategy board games!