We have all grown up playing games at some point in our life. As youngsters we would play games of hide and seek or hopscotch in the school playground, as we get a little older we maybe get our first gaming console and as adults a game of pool or darts down at the local pub. However, there is lot more to gaming than just having fun with your mates.
Playing games has all sorts of benefits attached them, these can include learning, creating and even our general wellbeing. This is because when we engage in playing games our brains release endorphins, these happy chemicals help to relieve stress in our hectic life styles. Playing games like chess, crosswords and other puzzle based games challenge the brain leading to improved brain function.
So what are the best games to play to keep your mind and body healthy?
Board Games
Over the years many studies have been done on the benefits of playing board games. Board games can teach some very important life and social skills; these can consist of verbal communication, interaction with others and sharing. Many board games have educational properties as well with games like Monopoly teaching about finance and economics, whereas games like Scrabble teaching us the value of words.
Games Rooms
According to Michelle Beresford the director of Home Leisure Direct, which is the UK’s leading games room specialist, playing games such as snooker and darts can help with a whole range of things from improved mathematic skills due to adding up scores and also hand eye co-ordination. Playing these kinds of games also improves social bonding and healthy competiveness between its participants.
Team Games
Team games such as football and basketball are a great way to interact with other likeminded people, making decisions and understanding others make working together as a team a very important life skill. Another benefit of these kinds of sports and games are obviously the exercises involved keeping you mind and body healthy.
Computer Games
Playing computer games seems to many people what only children do, but serious scientific research into children and adults that play computer games has revealed that they have much more improved hand to eye co-ordination, faster reaction times and better cognitive skills than people that don’t play computer games.
I’d like to leave you with a famous quote from George Bernard Shaw “We don’t stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing.”