More Than Just a Game

Series on Boardgames and What They Can Teach Us

Playing board games is more than just play

In this series we will discuss how games can be used to help us learn and practice many different skills

I have always loved playing board games. Many evenings as a child I was bothering my parents to play Clue or Cribbage with me.  Games provided a structure for interaction and helped me find ways to connect with those around me.  My love of board games eventually led to tabletop role-playing games (TTRPG) and integrating these games into my clinical practice. After writing my book on using TTRPGs in therapy I started thinking about the board games that brought me to therapy.  I thought about all the clients that I have worked with through playing games, and how I have seen games help families get closer together and build strong connections.  

While I do not use board games in the same way that I use TTRPGs I still find that they are a useful tool for what we as psychologists are trying to teach our clients.  Whether that be cooperative play, communication, psychological flexibility, planning, organization, waiting your turn, and building relationships.  These games are tools that not only can teach and help people practice needed skills they are fun.

There have been many board games that were created by therapists but most struggle at hitting the first point of gaming, being enjoyable to play.  While games do not have to be fun, there does need to be some form of enjoyment out of playing and engaging with the game.  In this ongoing blog series I will be highlighting different games, styles of games, and discussing how they can help you practice different skills. There are more board games out there than I could ever hope to play or learn in my lifetime but my hope is to highlight a few different games so that you can find tools that will help you in your own journey. I will include information from board game geek, a review webpage that hosts information about nearly every board game that has ever been made and a wonderful resource.  

To keep things a bit more organized I will try to stick with a theme a month to give a good snapshot of several different games that all fall into one category. I hope you will enjoy this journey with me!