Do games make you smarter?

Games have come a long way since Pong and text-based adventures, but they still have their flaws by a large measure — a lot of them being ethical issues that can really affect your view on how said games should be played.

But have you ever thought that games aren’t just a waste of time? Do you think that they can in a way improve your mental capacity, just like exercise improve your body’s health, endurance and physical abilities?

In today’s article we will be discussing different types of games to see whether they actually help to boost your cognitive abilities.

RPGs

The first type is known as “RPG” or Role Playing Games. This kind of games puts the player in the shoes of a character and having to make choices which effect the outcome — almost like real life, actually — and this actually requires you to use many skill sets including: critical thinking, memory, spatial reasoning and strategic planning.

RPGs are a really good way of helping you develop these skills, since they’re a very complex genre. They require your full concentration and can prove quite tricky at times.

Strategy is very important when trying to fit together puzzle pieces in order to win the game. And if you know what strategy games are about, then it should be easy to understand that they require a lot of logic and reasoning skills. You have to think in advance in order for your strategy to work out properly and you’re also gonna have to keep track of what’s going on at all times in order to avoid being easily fooled by other players or character’s actions.

Players have finite resources at their disposal and they can’t just pull out new units on a whim. But this actually requires them to think of strategies that are more effective than the ones that are being used at the time, or being able to predict your opponent’s actions in order to know what kind of units you’re gonna need.

RPGs are very complex games, with hundreds of possibilities for you to deal with. No two games are ever alike and they can really make you use your brain fully, which is something I’m sure most people would love.

Card Games

Poker, Uno, blackjack, solitaire, mahjong, these are all examples of card games that actually involve strategic thinking. They might not be as complex as RPGs, but there’s still something to be said about them. Since the games require you to pick which cards you should hold, what cards are left in the deck, who has what kind of hand and so on. You have to use your memory in order for you not to run out of options by the time the game is over.

The strategy that one can use when playing card games can have a lot of benefits outside of just being able to enjoy yourself with friends. For example it improves your memory and helps making decisions based on logic rather than emotion or impulse.

These card games teach social skills where you’ll learn to tell when the other player is bluffing, or just lying to you. You get to know about your opponents, their tactics and how they think, which will help you get better at predicting what they’re gonna do next. By the way, if you like playing card games, take a look at World of Card Games and find a wide variety of your favorite ones that you can play online together with your friends.

Board games

Chess, Monopoly, Scrabble, Sorry!, Clue, dominoes, this is just to name a few of the games that involve strategy and planning ahead. They’re games that can be played for hundreds of hours, even for days. These are all great examples of games that could easily consume your time if you let them. There are so many tournaments around the world that you could compete in if you wanted to, but the tournaments are also a great way to meeting new people.

The advantage of playing board games is much like card ones since they involve both strategic thinking and social skills. The hanabi game is a very strategic board game that really makes you think steps ahead.

Many of these board games force you to think outside the box and they can really teach you a lot of skills, in a way that card games cannot. You have to think in a broader manner in order for your strategy to work, so you can’t just rely on the same tactics that you would when playing against friends who are also good at the games.

Online bingo encourages patience and it can easily help you pass the time. It is a game that requires you to be very precise since it’s all about accuracy and speed. Being fast and specific is a really good way of improving your reflexes and decision-making skills.

Video Games

Video games can be as simple as “Super Mario” or as complicated as “The Sims 3”. They usually require you to think critically and to make good decisions.

Playing video games teaches you a lot of things about the different types of strategy that can be used, which is something that card and board games won’t teach you. It teaches patience, since you have to wait for a certain thing to happen before moving on to the next level. Co-op gaming teaches teamwork while promoting healthy competition. It can also help you get a feel for a certain situation you may be in so you know how to react if it happens for real.

First Person Shooters get your blood pumping since they take a lot of skill and concentration. They require a lot of energy and focus, something that can be hard to put out for a long period at a time. But these types of games are also great if you want to practice being more precise or developing your timing.

Playing first person shooters can really help you gain many different skills that you’ll be able to apply outside the virtual world. It gets you accustomed with taking risks, being quick on your feet and dealing with all kinds of situations without critique from others around you.

The anxiety that you may feel while playing the game will actually produce adrenaline in your body. You’ll be able to deal with stressful situations much better if you’re familiar with them since you’ll be used to the pressure and adrenaline that comes with it. Check Alternative Sites Like HDonline.

There are hundreds of different games that can help you develop your skills at something while simultaneously enjoying yourself. Playing demanding games gives some extra benefits on top of having fun, but not all of these games are necessarily difficult ones. Some of them are, while others aren’t that bad at all.