Why Do We Play Games?

I enjoyed board and war games as a kid, though I obviously didn’t think a lot about them.

There was, of course, Monopoly and Candyland and all of that childhood trash that we look back on and say “did we really play that?”

As I mentioned in my “How I Became a Gamer” post, though, I also played some wargames with my brother because he had bought them, and they opened my eyes to what games can be.

I also treasured that time with my brother.

I had my 90s lull after college (college is where I played Squad Leader and Titan a whole bunch) and picked them up again in 2012 by visiting a convention’s gaming area.

But that’s not what I’m talking about today.

Instead, I want to explore why I (and maybe by extrapolation, we) play games.

What does it do for us?

What do we enjoy about it?

Why is it something we do over doing many other things?

There are a number of reasons for me, so let’s explore them and see if you’re of a similar mindset.

First, there is the social aspect.

I am an introvert. Put me at a party and I may find one or two people to talk to, but most of the time I will be hugging the wall, watching other people have fun.

During and right after college, even when my friends and I went out, I was always the reserved one.

Hell, I had one of my friend’s friends actually have to say “I’m asking you to dance” to realize that she was actually interested in talking to me and dancing with me when we were out at a club one night.

Playing games kind of cured me of that, at least in gaming situations (I’m still like that in group gatherings otherwise).

Put me in a group talking about why Ark Nova is so great and I will be talking like a total extrovert.

Gaming has made me many friends, both in person and online (all friends who I treasure immensely, and I hope some of my online friends read this and realize how much they mean to me).

When I am at a game day, I’m actually talking a lot more than I would talk in general, even among a group of friends (though not so much when the talk gets political or non-gaming related).

During a game, I’m very vocal.

(And I have to give a shoutout to my friends who are willing to play a game multiple times, even if it may not be their favourite, because I want to review it and need to play it 3 times. They’ve done that multiple times and I love them for it).

I love the people I game with, and part of me wishes I had more different groups of people to game with to broaden that love.

Just wait until I retire!

But the friends I’ve made through gaming have been so valuable to me, and I hope they know I cherish them immensely.

The second reason I love gaming is the intellectual challenge involved.

Games make you think.

Even the most random game, you do have some decisions to make (ok, maybe not Candyland).

Card games nowadays are very random but they still involve you making tactical decisions based on the cards you get.

Forest Shuffle is a very tactical game, especially considering how many cards you take out in a 3-player (or even 2-player) game.

But you still have to make some decisions on what avenue you want to try and explore.

I have no scientific basis for this (mainly because I haven’t looked much, not saying there’s nothing out there), but playing games is great for keeping your brain working and maybe even staving off the lessening of brain function as you get older.

If you keep your brain active, it’s less likely to atrophy as you get older.

Again, just thinking that. I’m not asserting that based on evidence.

But it sounds logical.

That’s also why I love doing the online puzzles that are so prevalent, like Wordle, Connections, and the wonderful Clues By Sam logic puzzles that really keep my brain active.

Physical activity keeps your body healthy.

Why shouldn’t exercising your brain keep your mental acuity healthy?

I honestly feel kind of alive while gaming, having my brain trying to parse out what the best move is for me.

I’m not so competitive that I get upset if I lose or play in a subpar manner (though I do joke about it, and I hope my friends realize that I’m just joking).

But it just feels good to have that mental exertion.

As an aside about the “just joking” bit, one of the aspects of the social interaction that I definitely love is the shit-talking that can happen between friends, and those friends know that you’re joking and not actually mad at them.

At work, during our lunchtime games, one of my co-workers and friends has a friendly rivalry with me. I occasionally flip him off, or just say “how could you do that to me?” and we both know that it’s just in fun.

He’s an awesome guy and we talk about stuff outside of gaming, as well as gaming in general.

I hope he knows how much I do treasure his friendship and that any “badmouthing” I give him is just in fun.

He subscribes to this blog, so I hope he reads this!

The third reason I game just kind of brings both of those together into one big whole.

I enjoy it.

It makes me feel good when I game.

Whether it makes me feel accomplished, or just seen as a member of the human race because I don’t put myself out there otherwise, I always feel good after I’ve had a game session.

I touched on that a bit in my mental health post, but I want to reiterate that here.

We all have to take care of ourselves.

We should take care of others, but if we don’t take care of ourselves first, then we can’t take care of others.

Similar to the instructions on the plane in case of disaster, put your oxygen mask on before putting on the mask of others, because if you pass out, you can’t help others.

This is the same thing.

Playing games is so valuable to my mental health that I can’t even quantify it.

When I’ve had a lull due to venue cancellations or working from home for an extended period, or what have you, I feel the lack of gaming in my soul.

When I retire, I will spend a lot of my time gaming, whether in person or online.

Because that’s what enriches my life.

What is it about gaming that enriches your life?

Why do you game?

Let me know in the comments.