104. A New Year 2019: 13. What's so great about Board Games (Groups)

Today, I turn to look from the perspective of the group of gamers. What's so good about board games for the group of friends who gather around a table? Playing games together?

1. Mixing with others: This is quite straight forward. Of course, when we play in a group, we are not alone. We hang out with other people. Other social skills are put to the test. For extroverts, should be quite normal. But for introverts, it would be quite a challenge. Only when your love for the games overcome your natural tendency to want to be alone will the gamer mix around with people. Therefore it is good that board games bring us out of our comfort zones, into a state where we are in community.

2. Building relationships: Of course, as we hang around with other people (same group) often enough, friendships develop, relationships become stronger, and from acquaintances we slowly become friends and then better friends. Isn't this great?

3. Exposure to different types of people: The great thing about board gamers as a group is that they are brought together by the passion of playing games. Usually, that's where any similarities end. Gamers come from a whole variety backgrounds and therefore, when you find yourself in a group, you are usually introduced to a whole range of different types of new friends to discover.

4. Giving and receiving feedback: When playing in a group, like it or not, there will be many conversations going to and fro. Whether you play cooperative or competitive, there will be lots of ideas and comments and questions and answers bouncing around. Inevitably, you will be giving feedback and receiving the same for events happening in the game and out of the game. Definitely a good skill to develop and refine over time.

5. Learning cooperation: In cooperative games, one has to work together with the other gamers in order to win the game. Rarely if ever can any one gamer go by himself to win the game by his lonesome. You always work alone? This is the time you will develop new skills.

6. Developing patience, tolerance and acceptance: Lack of these values? Find it hard to give in to people? You are in for a treat. Playing board games is, I believe, a fun way to develop these traits in yourself. I myself am tested very often in these areas over time. I am so glad, playing board games have made it easier for me to practice living out these traits. Definitely worth it!

In the end, board games is just a hobby. But I believe the benefits are many. I will use this hobby of mine to share not just fun, but many learnings to the people around me.

Feel the same? Comment and let me know what you think.

This concludes my series on the hobby. Stay tuned on this blog for other topics of potential interest!

Photo above: Lost Cities (a 2 player card game)