Mindfulness and Magic: The Mental Benefits of Tabletop Games We All Need To Remember
There is the ongoing cliche that games are bad for the brain, but the fact is that if you are constantly being mocked for your geeky tendencies, whether it’s playing Magic: The Gathering or Dungeons and Dragons, the fact is that there’s a lot to be said for the mental health, cognitive, and therapeutic benefits of these types of games. Let’s show you what the benefits are.
The Importance of Strategy and Logic
Magic: The Gathering means you’ve got to plan a number of moves ahead. Logic is something that has a major impact on your day-to-day life. Having a collection of Magic cards and building your decks means you’ve got to start thinking about how the cards are interacting with one another. Naturally, working with the concept of strategy and logic with Magic: The Gathering and Dragons and Dragons means that, gradually, you’re going to increase the left side of your brain, which has a carry-over into mathematics.
The Therapeutic Benefits
Playing games like MTG yields other mental health benefits. Play therapy is something that has been used for decades and the truth is that while we may think about play as something that is just for children, the benefits we can all experience through play don’t just mean that we are recapturing that essence of childhood, but it can be a fantastically therapeutic component of our lives. Games like Warhammer or Dungeons and Dragons pose many possible mental health benefits, such as creative thinking or problem-solving skills, increased self-confidence or self-esteem, and practicing turn-taking.
Games like Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer yield a number of emotional benefits:
- Empathy. When you are playing as a different character, you have to start seeing the world from another perspective. This means that if you are fully enveloping yourself in the role and you can potentially build a variety of skills related to play-acting and performing.
- Collaboration. Games like Dungeons and Dragons demand players to work together and get along, despite differences.
- Interaction. Interaction is so important and while we can look at the cliches that Dungeons and Dragons or Warhammer are for the outcasts of society, the fact is that you could argue that it provides a far better way to get to know people than sports. A sports environment involves a group of people having to fight against a common enemy, but not necessarily building the same types of bonds. A lot of people cannot penetrate the sports world because of that stupid sense of machismo. Games like Warhammer or Dungeons and Dragons are organic and structured, ensuring people get to know one another in a far more effective way.
The Magic of Mindfulness
Games like Warhammer, Dungeons and Dragons, and Magic: The Gathering can promote mindfulness. A lot of people can benefit from playing in a tournament environment to become more in tune with a zen frame of mind. Many people are incredibly competitive in a tournament environment, for obvious reasons. But using games like Warhammer and Dungeons and Dragons can do a lot for our sense of mindfulness.
Rather than focusing on the negative aspects of the game and getting into a competitive mindset or being more resistant, the fact is that when we become more mindful in a game like Magic, we start to direct our attention to our internal states and recognize our emotions. Some are very much emotionally invested, and there are those that remember that it’s only a game. This is why games like Magic and Dungeons and Dragons can really benefit individuals in a tournament setting, because it’s a high-pressure environment that demands we step back and and renegotiate our perception of the events.
How You Can Use These in Your Life
Very simply, you can start by just playing. A lot of people become emotionally invested in games like Magic because they built up a collection of cards over the years. Others may find that if they want to get involved in something like Magic or Dungeons and Dragons, from the outside it may seem like an exclusive club. And this is something that we’ve all got to separate from. So many of us feel that Magic is our baby and we’ve got to protect it at all costs. Perhaps it’s time to start taking down these barriers.
Games like Magic and Warhammer are beneficial for mind, body, and soul. And what’s more, they are far better ways to invest your time than the numerous online casinos that can take your money! If you’re looking for a practice to increase your intelligence, emotional capacity, and even be a bit mindful while you’re at it, Magic, Warhammer, or any of these tabletop games might be what you need.
Chicano | Fighting/Writing for Diversity | DM since 08 | Anime Lover | Site: https://www.thegeeklyfe.com | info@thegeeklyfe.com | http://twitch.tv/that_deangelo | https://linktr.ee/deangelomurillo
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