Last Updated on January 25, 2024 by Gamesver Team and JC Franco
Battleship is a fun game that was developed during World War I. So, many have grown up playing it. But does that mean it’s an excellent game for your kids?
As you’ll see, there are plenty of reasons Battleship is a great game for children. But it’s not just because of its history and longevity. Keep reading to know why playing Battleship is an experience every child should have.
These are several reasons why your kids should play Battleship:
1. Easy To Play
The concept of Battleship is easy to understand, even for children. There are two players, each with the same set of ships. Each person gets to arrange their ships on their board or grid. Every ship occupies squares on the grid. However, the other player won’t know where their opponents’ ships are.
Throughout the game, each player will take shots or make guesses, trying to see if these will reveal a ship. They will take shots by saying a coordinate. Their opponent will then say “hit” if the coordinate is part of the ship. Doing this will reveal a ship’s location.
Their opponent will say “miss” if the coordinate is not part of the ship. The player will then have to guess again at their next turn. The goal is to reveal all boxes or coordinates containing the ships.
Players will mark on their boards if they’ve hit an opponent’s ship or if theirs was hit or sunk. If a player can guess all of the squares of their opponent’s ship, they have sunk that ship. If all the ships of one player have sunk, they have lost the game.
If you need a simple analogy, it’s like Minesweeper. You don’t know where the bombs, flags, or numbers are, so you have to guess. In Battleship, you’re looking for ships to sink instead of avoiding bombs.
2. Needs Few Players
You don’t need a big team to play Battleship. Only two players are required for a round. So, if there’s only you and your kid at home and you’re looking for ways to pass the time, you can have a go at Battleship. If your kid also brought home a friend and wants ways to have fun, you can encourage them to play Battleship.
3. Timeless
Battleship’s history goes back to World War I, making it a timeless experience. This means many generations of Americans and other people around the world have grown up playing Battleship — or, at least, have experienced playing the game once.
This also means that regardless of age, people can play the game. The old can teach the young and make it a bonding experience at the same time. Meanwhile, the young can listen to their elders’ stories of playing Battleship with friends.
4. Family-Friendly
As I’ve mentioned, Battleship is a game that can be enjoyed across generations. Family members can play with each other regardless of the generation gap. In an era when video games are spawning left and right, and technology makes it harder for older people to relate with the younger generation, it’s a good thing to have common ground.
5. Affordable and Portable
Battleship is a pretty budget-friendly way to pass the time. You can do it the old-fashioned way — i.e., make the grids and play the game using pen and paper. You can also have the board game version. The Battleship With Planes (available on Amazon.com) is easy on the wallet and can be played repeatedly. Also, it’s easy and convenient to pack up and take wherever you go.
Besides the board game version, there are also digital versions of Battleship. BattleShip Pro is available on Microsoft Store.
Other versions are also up in the same store. For example, if you’re an Xbox user, Battleship is also up for the taking.
6. Educational
If you believe games are a waste of time and cannot be learning tools, Battleship might change that. This game teaches strategy, logic, memory, honesty, patience, attention, healthy competition, and other skills and values that children should have.
One organization, Sheltering Wings, even believes that Battleship helps their mentors get through to victims of abuse. It teaches them many things while also allowing them to have fun and learn to trust their mentors.
7. Enhances Strategy Skills
The ability to strategize is essential. If you know how to strategize your daily tasks and responsibilities, it’s easier to breeze through them. It also helps you get out of tight situations (or even dangerous ones).
Battleship requires certain strategy skills because:
- You need to be smart about where and how to place your ships.
- You need to make logical and strategic guesses on the locations of your opponents’ ships.
This game is a fun way to impart strategic skills and knowledge to young people.
8. Develops Memory and Logic
A game of Battleship also sharpens memory and logic. As you go through a round, you must remember all of your opponents’ ships (if they’ve revealed any) to make a good strategy. Your moves and positioning of vessels also have to be logical, so no turn is wasted, and you can keep your ships from getting sunk.
9. Teaches Honesty
Battleship is also a way to practice honesty. At first, only you would know where all your ships are. If the opponent makes a correct guess, you’d have to admit you got hit, even if it means you’d lose. It may be tempting to lie and pretend your ship wasn’t there, but that could be discovered once the game ends.
This game is a good way for kids to learn that honesty is essential. Yes, they may be able to lie and get away with it in the middle of the game, but if they’re discovered in the end, there could be consequences. It teaches them that honesty is essential, even if it means losing the game.
10. Develops Patience and Attention
Patience and attention are critical when trying to win a game of Battleship. You need to note where your opponents’ revealed ships are. You need to pay attention and see if they have a pattern. You also have to note if your ships have been hit or not.
11. Improves Creativity
Battleship also helps improve creativity. For example, when positioning ships, you have to use a unique and novel strategy, so your opponent would have difficulty guessing correctly. If your positioning isn’t creative or well-thought-out, you’ll lose the game faster than you can say “hit.”
12. Has Many Variations
You don’t have to worry about Battleship getting too dull and monotonous. There are many versions of the game, both physical and digital. For example, there’s a version that includes islands and not just ships called Battleship Islands. That’s just one version, and I bet there’ll be even more to come out over time.
13. Promotes Healthy Competition
Like any game you play with your kid, Battleship is a great way to teach healthy competition. You can teach them that no matter how eager they are to win, they must play fair and square and avoid cheating. If they lose, they should accept it and give their opponent sincere congratulations.
14. Fun and Exciting
There are plenty of reasons Battleship has stood firm through the years. One of them is that the game is fun and challenging. It’s thrilling to guess where all the ships are. It’s also nerve-wracking to wait if your ships will stay secret or not. It’s also challenging to come up with new strategies, but that challenge is what makes it great.
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.