Everyone loves video games whether it’s on the console and your TV in your living room, on your computer or on your phone, but once upon a time you need a bit of time off from a screen and you are looking for real-life games. You want something that will rest your eyes while developing your mind.
Sure, there are hundreds of different card games, but not all of them prove a challenge that will help you develop your mental skills. You can’t expect that from playing Go Fish, you will feel better at problem-solving. It’s simple luck.
So, what are the games you could play with your friends or your family that will prove to be a mental challenge? Well, to help you find the best real-life games, we have made a list of the most engaging and fun to help you choose.
Why would I need such a game?
You ever been on a vacation long enough that made you feel like you can never get back into studying in working? You feel like all your habits such as waking up early, sitting over a book for hours and hours, solving math problems are now impossible to do. Getting up to work 8 hours a day, five days a week seems like something like you could never do again.
This usually happens because you haven’t had a mental challenge for a long time. And that’s completely fine. That’s the reason why all of us need a vacation. Our minds require time to relax to get rid of all those worries and that stress.
However, by playing challenging games you are keeping your brain ready for anything even when you are on vacation. It won’t make your time off less enjoyable because you are having fun while playing, right?
So, here are some of our best picks.
1. Sudoku
Once you learn how to play this, trust us when we tell you that you will not want to put it down. It is very addictive and for a good reason. It relies heavily on your ability to remember. You have to constantly remember numbers and think ahead for possible consequences. This will develop your ability to focus and the ability for short-term memory.
We believe Sudoku deserves a place on our list because this number-placement puzzle is more than 150 years old. It definitely shows just how addicting it is since it has lasted for so long. While originally you could buy it as a board-game, you can also find it in newspapers and today you could even download it on your phone.
2. Paintball
You might think that playing this real-life shooter is nothing more than just aimlessly running and shooting your paintball guns, but you could not be more wrong. If you have ever been in a paintball match then you probably know that you get supplied with only a couple of balls which means you have to save up on ammunition. The other rule is that once you get hit you are out, so if you expect your team to win, you will have to do everything in your power to ensure that you take down as much as opponents as you can.
This means you will have to strategically and tactically plan your moves before you do anything. Paintball will certainly bring a mental challenge to develop your mind.
3. Escape Room
Winning is always a satisfying feeling no matter what you are playing. But what is even more satisfying is solving (or winning) a puzzle. In fact, every single solution you find in just one puzzle raises your dopamine level making your happy with your progress.
According to LockBusters, they first became famous in the movie SAW. This horror movie started the idea of a room you would have to escape by solving various puzzles. Today, the escape rooms you can join are ten times more complex than those of the SAW movies. Puzzles this difficult will definitely have an improvement in your logic and problem-solving.
So, how do they work? Well, basically, you are put into a room or a bigger space with multiple rooms that are filled with various puzzles you need to solve if you want to escape. Depending on the difficulty of the escape room, you have a time limit otherwise you fail and you have to leave. Check out these escape rooms in Almere at Skyhigh Escape Room.
4. Laser Tag
Quite similar to paintball but without any physical contact. When playing laser tag you are equipped with a set of a helmet, vest, and a weapon. All of these three are targets to your enemies which are activated by the laser firing weapons. Once you get “shot” with a laser in your chest, helmet or weapon you are disqualified and you either wait for a respawn or for the next round, it depends on the game mode you have picked.
A lot of times the space used for laser tag is usually very complex and similar to a maze which means you will have to strategically plan where and when you will move. You do not want to be shot in the back when moving around corners, right? While you are tactically planning your movement you also have to stay focused to ensure that you will react fast and accurately enough to hit your targets. You have to think about multiple things at once which means you will improve your multi-tasking skill when playing this game.
5. Chess
This two-player strategy board game is believed to be one more than one thousand years old. The total number of people playing probably amounts to multiple millions every single day. Most casual games last somewhere between 10 to 30 minutes although that heavily depends on the skill of the players. This game has been so effective at training the mind to think strategically, it was the number one game for most kings in the past. It was a way to taught kings how to lead, how to strategically win over their opponents even when working with a much smaller army.
