Board games, perhaps miraculously, have not gone out of style in our increasingly digital age. While many of these games are played online with ones and zeros, physical board games continue to be a popular activity for groups of friends and family members. Some board games, however, are undoubtedly better than others when it comes to working out your mental muscles. Below are three such games.
Scrabble
Scrabble makes you rely on your verbal intelligence and vocabulary to create horizontal and vertical word combinations of a square board to score points. Scrabble has become a staple board game in different languages around the world and continues to be played by millions of people, especially online, where the game is often free to play.
Scrabble requires more strategy than most new players assume, but it is great because it is a game you can get better at simply by doing things like reading and writing more often. If you are new to Scrabble and struggling to come up with winning combinations, keep in mind that there are tools out there like Unscramblex, which help you piece together all of the possible word permutations of any given set of tiles.
Settlers of Catan
Settlers of Catan is one of the most popular strategy games out there. It is a multiplayer strategy board game in which each player takes on the role of a settler on Catan’s island. By accumulating resources and building towns, communities, and routes, players aim to become the dominating force in the Catan world. Wood, grain, brick, sheep, and stone are among the available resources (the resources are represented by game cards).
Catan is a mental workout because it teaches and relies on things like resource allocation and negotiation. Players must decide how to best allocate the resources they obtain, and it is nearly impossible for a player to win a game of Settlers of Catan without first negotiating with other players to trade for resources. Thus, it requires a combination of both analytical and interpersonal skills.
Cashflow 101
Cashflow 101 was created by Robert Kiyosaki, the author of the international bestseller “Rich Dad, Poor Dad,” and its aim is to teach the fundamentals of financial literacy. There are two tracks on the board: the fast track and the rat race. The goal of the game is to boost your financial IQ so you can escape the rat race and join the fast lane.
Cashflow 101 teaches you important financial literacy concepts like the difference between assets and liabilities; how to read basic financial statements; how to create a balance sheet; and the basics of cash flow management. Not only are these important life skills, but you have to allocate quite a bit of cognitive bandwidth to understanding the mechanics of it all.
Conclusion
People tend to prefer cerebral workouts that involve a certain level of fun and especially friendly competition. The above games offer both of those qualities in abundance and are easily accessed online if you don’t have the space or inclination to purchase or play the physical versions. Keep them in mind the next time you are planning a family or friend get together, whether those people are down the street or across the world, and build your brainpower and have a blast at the same time.
