In the past, the Internet seemed to be passive and incapable of changing our lifestyle. Today, the Internet has greatly influenced our lives. It has turned the world into a global village. We can forge relationships and chat with anyone across the globe in real-time at any place of your choosing as long as there’s the Internet. People became closer and understood others using social media. Entertainment such as online gaming has never been so popular. However, virtual gaming has been found to have adverse effects on the health of players. A healthier alternative could be real gaming such as playing board games with our family and friends.
Board Games: Its Health Benefits
A board game is a game played on a flat surface usually on a desk or a table. Some use wooden surfaces like chess or checkers, while some use plain cardboard or paper-like monopoly and snakes and ladders. Usually, it features competition between two or more people. It has set rules that can be easy or more complex.
Playing board games has inherent benefits for mental health. One particular study in France in 2013 has concluded that the risk of dementia is lowered by a whopping 15%. This is in 20 years against people who don't play board games. There was also research asserting that playing games help the planning ability of those people who suffered from schizophrenia. Last 2010, a German study was held which found that playing chess helps boost one's IQ. This is because it gives both sides of our brain a little exercise.
There are also educational values found in playing these kinds of games. It can help strengthen skills that are attributed to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math). It promotes critical thinking skills, foresight, inquiry, and at times, collaboration. It sharpens a player's focus and ability to adapt to sudden changes.
For children and teens, strategy in board games is useful in supporting the development of the frontal lobe of the brain. This particular part is responsible for a person's executive function skills. Examples of these skills are coming up with a good decision, organizing thoughts, and planning your next moves.
Other skills are also reinforced in playing board games which are soft skills. Soft skills are capabilities that people have that enable them to work well with others, navigate their surroundings, perform well and achieve objectives while using their common knowledge. This encompasses communication skills, attitude, mindset, emotional intelligence, people skills, and social skills, among others. This is also how playing board games can be a positive reinforcement of interpersonal relationships.
Games are not only enjoyable and a great way to pass the time, but it also has its inherent benefits for people who play it. As such, a dedicated branch of study called Ludology or game studies was established. Before the advent of video games, Ludology mostly dealt with the anthropological point of view. But now it encompasses more than cultural heritage and folklore, it is also inclusive of sociology, psychology, design, and its attributes that mirror the current social framework.
Board Games and Social Skills
Playing board games is a fun and enjoyable way for people to socialize. Socializing, being a way of making an individual a part of a community by conveying set rules to follow and ideals to adhere to. is a great way to prepare a child for adulthood. It teaches them some behavioral patterns like how to accept defeat and humility in winning. A person's social development affects their ability to establish a good relationship with others and follow rules. This also determines whether or not they are accepted by a community or immediate social environment for which they belong to.
The good thing about social skills is that it is a learned behavior resulting from social interaction. This is a fundamental part of human life and it is as important as learned knowledge through education. For children, playing board games develop their cognitive, emotional, psychomotor, social, and self-care skills.
At any age but most especially for impressionable children, they learn to wait for their turn, cooperate with others, share, avoid self-centeredness, solve social problems, control hostility, respect the rights and freedoms of others, comprehend their gender roles, and develop empathy for others.
During quarantine, homeschooling and work at home set up for a lot of families, playing board games could be something to look forward to for everyone. Having a game day every week would be fun and enlightening for everyone in the household. Comfort and a good flat surface are a number one necessity if anyone opts for a family game day.
The good thing is, at FlexiSpot there is a wide array of desks and tables that can be used for playing board games. The desks and tables have multi-functional meaning that you can use a standing desk or table outside of your game day. It is also designed in a very chic and aesthetically pleasing way. One product that fits that description is the Kana Bamboo Standing Desk. It has an elegant bamboo finish that is scratch-proof, moisture-proof, and insect resistant.
Great Features of Kana Bamboo Standing Desk
You can use it standing or standing posture with its high-tech keypad that adjusts its height to the user. It has an energy-efficient LED display so you can easily see what adjustment you would like to opt for. There are four sizes to choose from, depending on how big your family is. It is a solid choice for a day you would choose to connect and have a nice family time playing board games. Bamboo has its kind of durability and elasticity that stands out compared to ordinary wood that makes the desk a symbol of durability. It is reinforced through carbonized technology that makes it water-resistant.
This bamboo desk has an all-in-one keypad with three programmable presets for saving different postures from sitting to standing. Desk height can also be seen on an energy-efficient LED display. What more can you ask for? Let the board game begin!
