We were talking with our friend Jessica about games and specifically the game checkers. She told us about a little experiment she had done and after a little prodding, she agreed to write a guest post for you, our lovely reader.
Take it away Jessica!
“Board games, we have all heard about it. Heard the thousands of myths about how we aren’t top scientists and astronauts all because we left the good ole board games and are playing action games like the newly released Doom instead. I tried to test out the efficacy of this report on board games. To do this, I first took a thinking skill test which I felt I did pretty well at considering the hours I put into playing BioShock, Fallout and Dark Souls. I then set out to playing board games for a whole month and then re-take my thinking skills test to see how improved my scores will be.
“For those of you unfamiliar with what board games are, a board game is a tabletop game that involves counters or pieces moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or “board”, according to a set of rules. They are many types but I ran this experiment with checkers.
So I did take that test after my one month of playing checkers and believe you me, I aced it. I literally scored a never heard of 99% out of 100. I got an invitation to be a NASA scientist but I declined it. Here are the benefits I noticed.
“Memory Recall
Playing checkers helped improve my memory recall. There are always so many potential moves to make in checkers. At first, I missed a lot of slaying moves that would have made me win a lot of games. After a while of regularly playing it and getting beaten by my sensei’s, I began developing stronger memory skills and remembered all the potential outcomes for the hundreds of moves I could make. This improved good memory was rewarded by more wins and an unforeseen bonus point; I never forget where I keep my car keys again, NEVER.
“Self-control
At first, after every game I lost, I screamed and broke a TV; however, after running out of TV’s to break, I decided to learn better self-control. I lost more games but stayed calm through it, the more games I lost and the more I stayed calm, the better my self-control was. Now, I have a genie-like self-control.
“Concentration
Playing checkers required Jedi like levels of concentration. While I flunked at this at first, after a thousand losses, my concentration level increased tremendously. I learned focus thinking and how to make moves efficiently. While this made me win a lot more games, it had the bonus benefit of making me a great thinker, and most importantly, really awesome at playing BioShock.
“Self-Esteem
It improved my self-esteem. Well, not at first. I got beaten every time in my first 40 games. As I improved my skills at checkers, the more my self-confidence increased. As I discovered that I wasn’t ever going to be late because I forgot where my keys were, the more it increased. Play Checkers gave me greater self-confidence.
“There were other benefits I noticed from my month playing checkers; they include Sound Judgment, Problem Solving and Time Management.
What’s more to say? I love checkers. It turned me from an average human like you to a Jedi-like Super human…. Get and play some checkers today!”
As you can tell, Jessica is a little snarky. Just the same, we hope you are now inspired to pick up a game of checkers and start playing today!
Have you ever played checkers? What was your experience? Leave a comment and share your opinion and experience. Would love to hear from you.
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