Last Updated on January 7, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco
For me, playing Game of Life was a part of growing up. It was all about the fun for me and my siblings, and I doubt we ever gave much thought to what benefits we were deriving from our board games, other than that. In fact, if you told us that board games were good for us, we probably would have walked away from them.
That being said, over the years, playing board games like Game of Life was actually highly beneficial to us. Yup, it is true – the Game of Life board game can provide you (and your kids) with many benefits that not all have the privilege of being exposed to. If you want to learn about each of these benefits, simply read on.
These are 18 benefits of playing the Game of Life.
1. Playing Game of Life helps to develop critical thinking.
The Oxford English Dictionary (Lexico) defines critical thinking as: “the objective analysis and evaluation of an issue in order to form a judgment”. Playing the Game of Life actually helps people to work on the 5 skills required for effective critical thinking, and these are: ability to analyze, clear communication, creativity, open-minded approach, and problem-solving skills.
2. Provides an understanding that things do not always go as planned.
When playing the Game of Life, both good and bad things can happen to players. Players can get ahead, but setbacks are a possibility. This is a great way to view life. It provides kids, especially with a better understanding of the “ups and downs” expected in life.
3. Boost vocabulary.
While playing the game of life, children will be exposed to new words and terms that they do not often, or ever, hear at school. This is a great opportunity to help your children understand these words and grow their vocabulary.
4. It offers more choice and variety than Monopoly.
In Monopoly, there is not much choice offered to players. The Game of Life offers players far more opportunities to make choices.
5. There’s a definite endpoint, limiting the length of the game.
When playing board games, especially with smaller children, it really helps for the game to have an endpoint. This is where Monopoly falls short. Game of Life, however, has a definite endpoint so that players will know that it should take around an hour to play and not much longer.
6. Helps establish an understanding of basic financial concepts.
In the Game of Life, players get into debt, take out insurance, and buy property, and so on. This means that they need to handle their finances effectively. In order to do so throughout the game, players need to develop an understanding of basic financial management. And so, better financial management and budgeting skills develop as a result.
7. Develops a logical approach to life issues.
While Game of Life is a fun spin on real-life activities, it does make one think. All along the way, players are faced with choices. And in order to make the right choice, players need to learn how to take a logical approach. Logical thinking is a great by-product of playing Game of Life.
8. Provides an opportunity for good quality family time.
If you want to spend time with the whole family but do not want to waste time and money at a restaurant or other entertainment activity, board games are the way to go. Game of Life will keep the family together and engaged for at least an hour. It is a great way to ensure that you are getting enough quality time with family members. Family games night once a week is a good idea.
9. Teaches kids about the rewards of success.
While Game of Life does not encourage self-betterment through selfishness, there is an element of teaching about the rewards of being successful. It also plays on the correlation of your choices impacting on just how successful you will/can be.
10. Provides an opener for talking seriously about life choices.
While playing the Game of Life with children, it provides a great opportunity for parents to address important matters such as going to college, getting into debt, taking out insurance, buying a house, and having children. Kids can also get a better idea of the responsibilities involved in these choices and can take advice from their parents.
11. Reinforces social appropriateness.
As things go right and wrong for each player in the Game of Life, they learn to react and respond to each other in an appropriate way. If someone has outraged reactions, they will not be any fun to play with, and other players’ reactions will deliver that message clearly.
12. Gets the family away from their screens.
Most people nowadays spend far too many hours glued to their devices and screens. Luring the family away from the television, laptop, cell phone, or tablet for just an hour is a very healthy thing. It will provide your family members with time to disconnect and actually interact on a more personal, sociable level.
13. There are many versions to choose from.
It is great playing Game of Life because you can choose from so many themed versions. If you are tired of playing the same old version, just buy another version and the game can be a completely new experience. Now the same old game can never really get old.
14. It is focused on having fun.
While Game of Life teaches about ups and downs and morals too, it is not all about lessons. It is actually fun to play, and that is why it has attracted so many players of all ages.
15. Instills a sense of confidence in decision-making.
When playing Game of Life, the decisions you make an impact on the end result. If you decide to skip college and end up getting into debt, you will learn something about those choices. Being confident in decision making in life is essential, and in order for the game to go ahead, players have to learn to do just that.
16. Can teach kids to look at the bigger picture when making choices.
Kids do not often think of the bigger picture when presented with choices. The Game of Life provides the perfect teachable moment for parents and kids. Discuss with kids about thinking ahead when making choices. Is skipping college a good idea for the future? Is buying that house just too much debt for you right now? It really does help to teach children that the bigger picture needs to play a role in all choices and decisions.
17. Modern versions of the game reward good morals.
Players receive extra points when they make a good choice and show good morals. When they commit a crime or do something bad, they are not rewarded. This reinforces the understanding that doing good things and making decent choices pays off.
18. It helps to develop more table interpersonal skills.
If you do not get to socialize often, or if you are dealing with kids that do not know how to interact with others, the Game of Life can be a good teacher. The game puts players in close contact with each other for about an hour. That is the perfect amount of time to start working on interpersonal skills with children.
In closing
There is so much more to Game of Life than just having fun, even though fun is guaranteed. I played the board game when I was growing up, and I have no doubt that it will be passed down from generation to generation in my family. Will it became a family tradition of yours too? If you are looking for a fun game with great benefits and educational value too, Game of Life is a great choice.
This article was co-authored by our team of in-house and freelance writers, and reviewed by our editors, who enjoy sharing their knowledge about their favorite games with others!
JC Franco
JC Franco serves as a New York-based editor for Gamesver. His interest for board games centers around chess, a pursuit he began in elementary school at the age of 9. Holding a Bachelor’s degree in Business from Mercyhurst University, JC brings a blend of business acumen and creative insight to his role. Beyond his editorial endeavors, he is a certified USPTA professional, imparting his knowledge in tennis to enthusiasts across the New York City Metropolitan area.