Be it a video game, card game, or a team sport, games are an excellent way of spending your free time and having fun. People start playing games when they are young and this doesn’t stop even when they are 80 years old. Other than helping you avoid boredom, games offer plenty of physical and mental benefits. They make you more active and energetic. You also become very productive and enjoy improved focus. If you were wondering what you can get from playing games, here are 15 reasons why games are great for your wellness and productivity.
1. Increase satisfaction at the Workplace
All work and no play indeed makes jack a dull boy. A lot of people experience fatigue because of spending hours at their desks doing the same old activity. By incorporating gaming stations at the workplace, employees get an opportunity to have fun while working. And this contributes significantly to improving satisfaction at the office.
2. Induce a Sense of Relaxation
Mental games such as solitaire have been known to regulate blood pressure, stabilize heart rate and slow down breathing. All these benefits contribute towards making you feel calm and more relaxed. After a long day at work, playing a card game can relieve you from stress.
3. Improve Our Mood
No matter how challenging a game is, it will always make you feel better. Have you ever passed by a group of kids playing a certain game? Most of the time, they are usually happy and smiling. Games are a very enjoyable activity. They trigger the production of feel-good hormones which improve your mood.
4. Lengthen Your Attention Span
Most games require your full attention. And even though you may not realize it, the more games you play the more you exercise your ability to focus. With improved focus, you can pay more attention in class or work and become very productive.
5. Increase Social interactions and Boost Relationships
Most games require multiple players. And during gameplay, you have to communicate with players on your team and those on the other team. What this does is that it increases social interactions especially at the workplace. These interactions foster better relationships. And if employees can relate well with another, then the company will be able to achieve its objectives faster.
6. Offer Pain Relief
Even though games aren’t analgesic drugs, they can distract your brain, thus offering relief from pain. Games can be quite fun, especially if you find ones that you like. As you engage yourself in such an activity, you will be least aware of your physical pain because all your focus will be on the game.
7. Boost Creativity
Most games require you to be creative so that you can bypass obstacles and move to the next stage. If you are good at games, then you are creative, able to think outside the box, and great at solving problems. These are highly desirable skills in all fields, and surprisingly enough, you can get all of them from playing games.
8. Make You a Better Problem Solver
Be it a card game, video game, or sport, all games have one objective. And that is to solve a problem. Let’s look at a game such as solitaire, the objective is to arrange the cards in a certain suit or rank. The game usually has a complex beginning and it is up to you to solve that problem. Through games, you become more aware of your situation and can easily find solutions when a problem arises.
9. Help You Learn Your Weaknesses and Strengths
We all have our weaknesses and strengths. However, do you know what they are? As it is, it can be hard to point your strengths or weaknesses. However, as you play games, you can find out which activities you are good at and those that you aren’t. With this information, you can work on improving your weaknesses.
10. Improve Brain Health
The brain also needs exercise for it to function optimally. And because you can’t lift weights with your mind, games exercise the brain and ensures it’s healthy. As we grow old, the grey matter in our brains starts to decrease. And we no longer become as sharp as we used to. However, games stimulate our brain and with a healthy brain, your cognitive functions will always be in check.
11. Create an Opportunity to Bond
Whether you are at work, home, camping, or even at a party, playing games helps you bond with everyone. You might even not know each other, but the game will bring you together. Y6ou can learn things from one another. And most importantly, that could be the beginning of a lifelong friendship or even partnership.
12. Are a Fun Way to Learn
Learning may not be the most fun thing to do. However, when it is incorporated into a game, it becomes easier to understand and becomes interesting. Ever wondered why children are taught using games? This is because games are a fun way to learn. You can get a lot of skills from playing games. Some of which if you were taught formally, you may have not understood them.
13. Boost Self-Esteem
What happens when you win a game? You feel like you have achieved something in your life. And even if everything isn’t going well for you, games have a way of boosting your self-esteem. It is worth mentioning that games get you out of your comfort zone. And put you on the path to success.
14. Make You Physically Active
All games require some level of physical activity. Even though others such as sports require a higher level of activity, whichever game you decide to play, you will have exercised your body. And this is very beneficial to your health. Playing games doesn’t just make you active but it also keeps your weight in check.
15. Improve Your Decision Making Skills
When playing games, you will be tasked with making a lot of critical decisions. When you make the wrong decision, you risk losing the game and vice versa. As you play games, you learn the importance of making the right decisions. By utilizing your critical thinking and problem-solving abilities, you become a better decision-maker and this can significantly pay off in the future.
Final Thoughts
When it comes to wellness and productivity, there are many ways games can help you become a better version of yourself. Both your mind and body are impacted by playing games. Not only do you become physically active, but you become happier, motivated, smarter, and creative. Make time for playing games, and you will never live through a dull moment in your life.
