The Less Interesting TimesThis is My World and You Can Pry it from My Cold Dead Fingers

2012/10/30 Role Playing Games – A Must

There have been many studies about the importance of play. Just like animals learn their important skills by playing (wolves running, chasing and biting, for example), human kids also learn social interaction through play with other kids and we build up our analytical skills by solving puzzles be it block building or predefined riddles.
And if you look at gamers, almost everyone loves a good puzzle games whether they be simple matching puzzles, complex quests or serious brain busting riddles. Even if all you play is sports games, you probably would also enjoy a good puzzle.
Puzzle games are today’s extensions of the brain exercise we used to get from physical puzzles and challenges. And this is why I think everyone should play Role Playing Games.

Roleplaying games are full of puzzles. They are narrative based and all about some form of engagement. But pretty much all role playing games contain puzzles. They could be riddles, tactical situations, clue hunting or even political plotting. But each of them tend to really task the mind because of their very unique quality: all of them are specifically designed for the particular situation in hand. Meaning, the game setting and the players.

When you’re a kid, you go outside, make up games, play with your friends, spend several hours just working your imagination. When you grow up, most of that goes away. Your entertainment turn into going out to drink, watching television, maybe some conversation over dinner. More modern adults also play party games or board games or even video games and work their minds out to some degree. But most often then not, they don’t work their imagination.

This is where role playing games come in, for young and for old. Once a week or once a fortnight, to get together with a bunch of friends and work together, work the imagination and sharpness of the mind, to overcome challenges that were designed meticulously with your company in mind. And with a good GM, this could be the best mind exercise you’ve ever had. And how does one get a good GM? By training them, playing RPGs with them, since childhood. And when you play roleplaying games, when you encounter every kind of situation imaginable, you’re already training yourself for your future life.

Play Role Playing Games, ladies and gentlemen. It will only do you good.

Posted in Gaming, Practice, Role-Playing, Thinking Out Loud by Eran with 1 comment.