When you hear the words “play” and “games” what do you think about? Most adults think of those things as trivial or even dispensable: they shy away from anything “frivolous” like playing games. Here at Patchwork Adventures, we know the powerful effect games can have, on everything from your brain chemistry to your interpersonal relationships. Here are some of the reasons we love playing!
Play helps us regulate our emotions.
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We’ve all seen (or been) that furious kid who flips over the board and storms off in a huff when they lose a game. But over time, we grow to understand that the stakes are low when it comes to play. (Unless maybe you’re a professional card shark.) A game may feel intense in the moment, but win or lose, the consequences are minimal. And eventually, with time and practice, play teaches us how to work through those feelings in a healthy way and respond in a more socially-appropriate manner.
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Play teaches us empathy.
When we play with others, everyone experiences their own unique range of emotions, which might be different from or even contradictory to ours. This is a great opportunity for players to learn how individual people express emotions, how behavior impacts others, and what it means to be a good sport.
Adults benefit from this too: empathy and compassion can always be deepened, and emotional intelligence is vital across all areas of daily life. Whether you’re sniffing out spies playing The Resistance or giving someone a tough performance review at work, it’s all about being able to read people and relate to them.
Play develops critical thinking skills.
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Play is a microcosm of the world in a lot of ways. In games like Risk, we decide on a trajectory, and we have to make choices based on the changing opportunities and people around us. But unlike the real world, the consequences happen much more quickly. This continuous feedback is an excellent way to quickly get better at contingency testing and risk calculation in a low-pressure environment. And once you develop the skills, moving on to tackle real-world issues is a logical next step.
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Play rewires our brains, literally.
Neuroplasticity is our brain’s ability to grow new neurons and reorganize neural pathways. This is important because it’s how we’re able to learn new skills, form new memories, and internalize new information.
Brains of children and young adults are inherently more flexible and have higher neuroplasticity compared to the brains of older adults, but there are some behaviors that can increase anyone’s brain plasticity. Novelty is a major theme: biking to work a different way, taking salsa lessons, learning a new language, all of these things will increase brain plasticity.
Play is fertile ground for introducing this type of novel stimuli into your life. Whether it’s learning the mechanics of a new puzzle game or practicing a new ball handling technique in soccer, play is an excellent way to work out your brain and improve your neuroplasticity.
Play builds creativity.
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Dungeons & Dragons, Pictionary, murder mystery games, the list goes on: so many games are great ways to exercise your imagination. Whether through drawing, role-playing, or just an fun original strategy, games offer endless opportunities for creative expression. (And trust us: perfecting your elf wizard voice will definitely help you level up your next work presentation.)
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Play encourages cooperation.
Cooperative games like Pandemic or escape rooms are becoming increasingly popular. Players work towards a common goal, and they need their teammates in order to succeed.
Playing games will help teams learn more about each other, build their cooperation and consensus building skills, and just have fun together! This can be a good option for groups aiming to grow more calibrated with each other, like a team of new coworkers or a basketball team.
But even with games that are not explicitly cooperative, cooperation is still an important skill being developed. In Settlers of Catan, for instance, even though it’s a competitive game, players are required to work with each other in order to achieve their own goals.
Play makes us more adaptable.
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Games involve unpredictability: dice rolls, card shuffling, the variability of other people’s choices, etc. It all adds up to constantly shifting circumstances. Players continuously need to reassess and adjust their strategies based on these changes. (If someone just took the last open route to Atlanta in Ticket to Ride, you should probably focus on your west coast destinations instead.)
This ability to change course and reevaluate is undoubtedly a life skill that can be applied to more than just Monopoly or Agricola. Studies show that mammals who play more are better able to adapt to changes in their environments. With a flexible mindset, you can roll with life’s obstacles more smoothly, instead of having to reset back at square one every time you hit a snag.
This is a really useful skill in the workplace, since businesses frequently have to pivot projects and programs. It pays off to develop this resilience ahead of time; practicing with low-stakes games now will make it way easier to manage when shit really hits the fan.
Play teaches children (and adults!) social norms.
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Early in life, puppies learn from adult dogs how hard is too hard to bite when playing. Without internalizing that important lesson, a dog might grow up to unintentionally hurt their peers, and thus be ostracized from the group. Acceptance from the group and a sense of belonging is crucial to animal survival, and that includes humans.
Play helps with that: it’s a fun, informal opportunity to read social cues. It teaches and reinforces valuable lessons about how to treat other people, and you learn it’s okay to be silly in certain contexts, even once you’re an adult.
Play puts us in a flow state
We’ve all been so intensely focused on an activity that we look up at the clock and are shocked to realize three hours have gone by. This is flow, and being in this state is linked to a huge range of benefits, including higher productivity, elevated levels of happiness, and increased intrinsic motivation.
Games are an ideal setting to achieve flow state: they’re immersive, the objectives are clear, and you get fast feedback and rewards. (Turns out, playing Fortnight can actually be good for your productivity? Who knew?!)
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Play builds confidence.
One of the most challenging things about growing older is the increased responsibilities and expectations. There are areas in your life where you’re expected to show up and be successful: your boss counts on you to meet recruitment quotas, your kids expect you to keep the snack cupboard stocked, and you better not be late on your mortgage payment.
Those obligations come with baggage: if you make mistakes, there are real-world consequences that impact others.
Play puts a person in a low-stakes, novel environment, where it’s okay to make mistakes and look silly. Especially in adulthood, this type of environment becomes harder and harder to come by. If you’re learning a new game, it’s expected that you’ll make mistakes at first. Understanding the rules takes time, and there’s room to figure it out as you go.
Making mistakes in a relaxed environment is an important outlet, when so many other areas of life don’t allow for that imperfection. (Admittedly, making mistakes should totally be more accepted in the real world too, but that’s a whole other discussion.)
Play is a powerful bonding experience.
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Playing games is an excellent way to form or strengthen your relationships with friends, family, and coworkers. With acquaintances or new colleagues, playing a game is a great way to break the ice and ease the initial awkwardness that sometimes happens among new people. When the focus is on playing a game, no need to bother with small talk, and you avoid those dreaded conversation lulls!
Play is inherently not a serious activity, and it usually involves at least some level of silliness. Maybe it’s acting like a duck during charades, a Mario Kart race victory dance, or belly-flopping on the twister mat. Whatever it is, you usually have permission to act a little goofy!
This type of behavior can be vulnerable, which necessitates a certain amount of psychological safety among the participants: it establishes a mutual baseline of trust, which is crucial for building connection. When you and your coworkers have all seen each other get taken down by a kickball, it’s impossible not to feel more comfortable with them. And through play, you have a shared experience, you start having inside jokes, and you just get to know someone so much better. Playing games is a foolproof way to develop deeper bonds with people.