Increasing life skills through board games

What I mean by 'board games' are games that are played face to face with another or other human beings. That is, the game involves people being together and interacting with one another.

This can include dice, cards, electronic gadgets, etc.

The main point is that they are between two or more people and they are not PRIMARILY played on a computer or console system, they are USUALLY played on a table or around one, but may include various other modes of play.

It has been said that life is a game. I feel this is so true. Life has all of the same components as a game does.

They both have an arena or play area: That is to say that you need a 'place' to play the game. The context of the game, the board represents some place. In life we have various places we play our games, school, home, office, etc.

They both have barriers: This is one of the fundamentals of a game. Without barriers you don't have anything to overcome. The game itself would not be any fun.

They both have goals: Goals are closely related to problems. If you had a game that only contained problems, but you were not trying to overcome them, then in fact you don't have a game. You have a setting filled with barriers that no one is inclined to over come.

They both have rules: These are basically codes of conduct, what you can and cannot do in any given situation. Rules can act as both problems and as ways of overcoming those problems, depending on their content. In both you can often break the rules, and when you do this there are often consequences.

I have to admit, games that completely rely on strategy are not really my thing. These are games such as Chess, Go, Checkers, Tic Tac Toe, etc.

Why don't I like them so much? Well these games often (not all of the time) come down to a memorization game. Who can memorize the best, opening, middle, and/or close to the game. There are dozens and dozens of books on how to play the various phases of chess, and others on the game of Go. I haven't seen a book on Tic Tac Toe strategy, if you know of one please let me know.

Now before I upset some of the players of these fine games, I want to say, it isn't MY preference. I think that these game have a lot to offer a player, and a lot can be learned. They just are not my thing.

The basic thing I have learned from them is that dedicating your self to the pursuit of knowledge in one area gives you an advantage over other less focused individuals. By directing your time in a definite direction you gain valuable data on how to play in that arena, and this can give you an advantage over the other people that don't have this knowledge, and/or dedication.

In today's world specialized knowledge is important, and if you have this knowledge it can often be used in different ways, or in different arenas to help you to play that game as well. At the same time you need to be willing to learn something new in order to move with the changing times.

I want to say that I have learned basic strategy playing these types of games. These are often the first types of games that people learn to play as they are widely available and classic. Everyone knows someone that knows how to play them, and can teach them the basics.

As with other things in life sometimes just knowing a bit more than the basics can carry you above the average person. If you use this idea in life you will find a small investment of time, can place you in a better position.

Knowing how to play a better than average game can also bring you a bit of prestige when it comes to playing with certain people. A small investment in learning some basic Chess strategy can go a long way.

When a situation arises to play these games, sometimes you can gain a bit of respect. This respect for you ability to play a game, can cause the person to look on you favorably and feel your other talents may also be good as well.

All games have a lesson to be learned, take the time to find it!