Last Updated on January 25, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco
Invented sometime around the late 1700s, the card game Solitaire quickly became popular and was played in different variations all across the world. In Western Europe, the game Solitaire and its ‘Klondike’ variation was even more popular and played by the likes of Napoleon when he was held in exile.
The main benefit of Solitaire is that you can play it digitally on your PC, phone, or tablet, or using an actual deck of cards! Amongst its many other benefits, Solitaire is widely renowned by many to be a form of stress relief by giving your mind a break from exhaustive mental work.
However, what possible benefits or advantages did Solitaire offer that made it so widely popular? It was bigger than any other game at the time of its launch and is still widely played today. The question is why, though? With so many other games out there at the time, why did Solitaire take off? What benefits and advantages did it offer over other games?
Solitaire’s digital version, officially launched in 1990 by Microsoft, was a pre-installed application that came with the new Windows 3.0 operating system. The game was accessible to all Windows users and was originally meant to be a training module for people to get more acquainted with using a mouse. However, it offered so much more than just that.
Let’s take a look at the benefits and advantages of playing Solitaire and why these points still hold value today in a world obsessed with video games.
These are 21 benefits and advantages of playing Solitaire:
1. Teaching Fulfillment Without Delay
People that are new to Solitaire will often make their moves as quickly as possible without any set strategy in mind. They’ll build stacks, move piles, and in doing so, they’ll mess up their chances of winning without ever realizing where they went wrong.
The better way to go is to slow down as the opportunities present themselves to you. This playstyle teaches delayed gratification. A virtue that can be used in all walks of life, whether it be dealing with personal affairs, making hard work decisions, or staying focused on the task at hand.
2. Keeping Your Brain Active & Relaxed
Few games can accomplish this feat. Most games are too intense and are not what you would consider ‘relaxing’.
However, playing Solitaire was amongst the few games that kept your mind active while still allowing it to relax and reset. This is why it was so popular at workplaces, as it allowed employees to regain their mental energy and keep them going throughout the day.
3. Alone Time
It doesn’t matter if you are an extrovert or an introvert; everyone needs their alone time. Self-reflection is extremely important to keep your mental health in check, and this can be achieved by simply playing a quick game of Solitaire.
4. Calming Your Mind
How does solitaire help in calming one’s mind? It does so by putting you in a meditative state where all you have to do is click cards and repeat actions. It gives the mind something to focus on while not adding additional stress, diffusing any tension your brain has built up.
5. Disregarding Luck
We’ve all, at some point in our lives, left things to chance. Hoping that our luck would get us through. This dangerous move can often lead to things going very wrong, which is exactly what Solitaire suggests.
The game allows your creative side to take over and develop strategies, as it can’t be won by luck alone. Although luck does play its part in the game.
6. A Fun Alternative
While some video games out there often get annoying to play, Solitaire doesn’t. Being a single-player game, it provides you with endless options to go through and many variations. Every obstacle and challenge you solve will only result in you wanting to play all over again.
7. No More Shuffling Or Handling Cards
Available to be played offline and online, you don’t have to worry about the hassle of a physical deck. The game shuffles, deals, and handles cards for you while you just click buttons. No mess, no time-wasting, just pure endless fun!
8. Enforcing Rules
All games have rules. Some more than others. Solitaire is no different. However, it does allow you to be creative as to how you are to use these rules in your favor. That’s what makes it interesting. It teaches you how to stay within the guidelines of the rules while still being able to approach things in different ways.
9. Making The Concepts Of Card Games Easy To Learn
When you play Solitaire or other variants of it with a physical deck, you won’t understand the basic concepts of it even if you were to pick up a book and read about it. This is where the digital game comes in.
Within minutes you can boot up the game on your Windows computer or a phone, and learn everything there is to learn about the game by simply playing it a few times without having to have any prior knowledge.
10. A Quicker Alternative
Booting up the game on your preferred device, you’ll be dealt the cards pre-assorted in a matter of seconds. One game of Solitaire doesn’t take more than a few minutes to complete, making it perfect for when you need that short break to give your mind a breather.
11. A Customizable Experience
Throughout the various modes of Solitaire, you’ll find different rules, settings, etc. These personalizable options added a new dimension to the game, making it that much more fun and entertaining.
12. Eliminates Time-Waste
Search for the game on your preferred device and boot it up in 5 seconds or less! This not only eliminates any unnecessary time-wasting but also makes the game a lot more accessible to all.
13. Not Just One Game
Solitaire comes with different variants for one to choose from. Since the range is massive when it comes to digital versions of Solitaire, you can easily find one that suits your style or opt for more challenging variations to test your mind and reflexes even more.
14. Making Room For Different Card Games
Solitaire is a great beginner game for those who know nothing about how a card deck works. It gives an idea of the significance of each card, whether it be an ace, queen, king, or any other number card. This knowledge can help with learning other games like Poker!
15. Adding Visual Beauty
Although physical card decks have visual aesthetics of their own, they are prone to wear and tear, and we all know how cards can easily get lost. With the digital version, though, Solitaire offers customizable backgrounds and card graphic designs that are aesthetically pleasing and won’t be affected by constant use!
16. Learning From Your Mistakes
Although learning from our mistakes is what makes us human, the undo button that is already there in your favorite Solitaire game allows you that second chance to get that win! It allows you that one opportunity to get a better idea of what you should’ve done instead and a way to fix it if you think quickly. A lot like the lessons of daily life.
17. Recording Your Every Move
In the Solitaire, Windows edition, every statistic is recorded. How many games you’ve played, your wins, your losses, your moves in a loss or a win situation, your personal best score, and much more.
18. Helps Improve Memory
The benefits of playing Solitaire are often subtle and availed unconsciously. Memory improvement is one such example. Memory improvement comes in the form of unconsciously memorizing colors, suits, numbers, and even the order in which the cards are stacked.
19. Helps Develop Your Strategic Thinking Skills
To win a game of Solitaire, you need to be strategic. Thus, in many ways, Solitaire helps improve strategy development while also triggering other mental functions while playing the game.
Also, playing the game can aid in developing focus, fast-thinking, and muscle memory. All of which are important tools that help you make smarter decisions.
20. Promotes Patience
Solitaire teaches important life lessons. It teaches you strategies where sometimes holding your ground can result in better gains than acting on the spot. It even teaches delayed gratification, patience, and the wisdom to see the bigger picture and not worry about short-term gains.
21. Encourages Healthy Competition.
Solitaire presents with its simple nature, a hint of competitiveness. Challenge yourself or challenge other players to see who gets the higher score!. So, yes, Solitaire does indeed make a person more competitive, which is an important attribute to learn.
Final Thoughts
Solitaire’s a game that has had a ‘never before seen’ impact on the world of gaming. Although the benefits mentioned may not be as “visible” when compared to other single-player games, they still exist and, in essence, make the game ‘special’.
If you were wondering how such a simple concept of a card game reached popularity like no other game of its time? Well, now you know! After all, this saying exists for a reason; “Learn how to play solitaire, and you’ll never get bored.”
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.