Board gaming sessions can be some of the best moments shared by family, friends and neighbours. It entertains and brings people together through competitive and cooperative gameplay. This helps to cope with memory and cognitive skills where the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex especially benefit from playing board games. These areas of the brain are responsible for complex thought and memory formation. Board games help the brain retain and build cognitive associations well into old age too. Plus you can reduce stress too!
When I was younger, I remember playing board games with my sister when our parents were off to work. The amount of competition and laughs we had was something I can’t replace. Hence, here are my top 5 board games of all time.
1.Monopoly
Come on, if you’ve not played monopoly before in your life, please purchase one here and start buying houses, figurately speaking of course. Players roll two six-sided dice to move around the game-board buying and trading properties and develop them with houses and hotels. Players collect rent from their opponents, with the goal being to drive them into bankruptcy. Money can also be gained or lost through Chance and Community Chest cards, and tax squares; players can end up in jail, which they cannot move from until they have met one of several conditions.
Skills required: Negotiation, resource management
2. Risk
This game is for the enthusiasts who dream of power for world domination. This game is typically played with two to six people. Risk is a strategic-based game played on a board depicting a political and territorial map of Earth, which contain six continents with 42 territories. Players roll a dice and control armies to attempt to take over other players territories.
Skills required: Strategy, problem-solving skills
3. Scrabble
Ahhh, what’s not to love about a group of two to four people coming and challenging their vocabulary and English spelling skills? The objective of this game was to put letters together, build words, accumulate the most words and out-score the other players. The game encouraged many repeat players to improve their vocabulary base and overall literacy skills. This could be a great icebreaker game to connect new people along.
Skills required: Vocabulary, spelling, anagramming, strategy, and counting
4. Clue
This is for the future detectives at heart that wants to solve a murder mystery. The goal of the game is to figure out who murdered the game’s victim, ” Mr Boddy”. You must also determine where and what weapon was used in the said murder. This classic detective game best played with 3 to 6 players where players move from room to room in a mansion to solve the mystery of who done it, with what, and where? It’s the perfect game to make you think and helps you to reason and negotiate.
Skills required: Problem-solving skills, good social skills, decision making.
5. Snakes and Ladders
Who can forget this simple kids game involving just the use of dice to determine who will rise up to the ladder and be a champion? The game is a simple race contest based on sheer luck and is popular with young children. The historic version had root in morality lessons, where a player’s progression up the board represented a life journey complicated by virtues (ladders) and vices (snakes).
Skills required: Counting, observation
With that being said and done, the latest remake of the 1995’s Jumanji, Jumanji: Welcome to the Jungle premiers today in every Malaysian theatre! Here a little sneak peek of the new movie. Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, and Jack Black.