Mad About Science: Complex board games

By Brenden Bobby
Reader Columnist

There is something to be said about the importance of board and table games. While it’s easy enough to boot up a console and start pwning n00bs online, some interesting things start happening to your brain when you’re playing video games versus playing board games with a group of friends or strangers.

Video games — particularly games developed within the past eight years — have immense amounts of research behind them to study the effects they have on the human brain. AAA game firms make money by selling you games and content, so it makes sense that they want the games to be fun… and, more importantly, addictive.

My own journey into video games began with Super Mario Bros. for the Nintendo Entertainment System when I was young enough to still say “basketti,” so if you’re expecting a dusty lecture on why video games are bad and board games are good, you’re likely to be disappointed. Certain video games have had a profound and lasting effect on American society. Video games such as the Final Fantasy series, which we’ll explore next week, are story- and strategy-driven titles that make you think while you play. It’s been shown that players think more critically and strategically about other decisions after spending some hours playing a role-playing game, while those who prefer twitchy shooters like Call of Duty tend to develop better reflexes and make better snap decisions.

Video game players in general, regardless of type or genre of game, have been proven to outperform non-gamers on average in areas of cognitive function and executive decision making. While it’s likely that a large amount of this is both genetic and based on upbringing and general life experiences, it appears that video gaming can be like taking vitamins for your brain. Strike the right balance and you’ll be thinking more quickly on your toes; stuff too many fistfuls of Flintstone vitamins into your mouth and you’re just wasting time.

Board games do something else entirely to our brains, depending heavily on what the board game is, just like with video games.

Board games come in a staggering variety, from snappy party games like Cards Against Humanity and Here to Slay, to deeper strategy games like Monopoly and Risk. These are just some of the most basic titles, when really there is a sea of games out there with a variety and depth to rival even the robust video game catalog that has developed over the decades.

Let’s pair two roughly similar (and well known) titles and explore the effects they have on the human brain: Monopoly and Settlers of Catan. The objective of both games is to “win.” Monopoly has a single win condition: to bankrupt the other players at the table — though getting Uncle Mark to flip the table in rage is a bonus win condition. Catan has a single win condition that can be achieved in multiple ways: reach 10 Victory Points by having the largest army, longest road and/or the strongest presence on the board.

Both of these games lean into the idea of heavy social interaction through politicking to gain an advantage in your strategy. These games also require adaptive thinking, as the presence of dice can either grant you a windfall or doom you to streaks of bad luck. 

There is no single, surefire solution to either game, and it’s evident that if your group plays multiple games it will often be more wary of winners of past games. Trades and loans become more difficult for those who achieved victory once, as the players are more cautious of their ability. This has an immediate effect on how our brains process information, perceive threats, and adapt to neutralize those threats and come out ahead based on past experiences. Games are, in a way, a practice run for real life with low stakes and high impact.

It has been shown that board gamers approach social interactions outside of games differently from non-gamers, much in the similar way that video gamers have a higher cognitive function and are less reluctant to make snap decisions than non-gamers. Much like reading, social gaming in-person is like exercise for your brain.

Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mad About Science article without some wacky extremes. What’s the longest game you can think of? While it’s true that there has been a Dungeons & Dragons game going on for 42 years, this isn’t really what I’m talking about. What about the longest board game, with everything packed into a single box ready to roll out. Any guesses? Catan? Monopoly? 

Let’s try The Campaign for North Africa. This game is an intense simulation of the North African campaign of World War II between the Axis and the Allies. The game recommends two teams of five players, each with a specific role to execute.

To call this a game is an inaccurate representation of what it actually is. It is a complete simulation of the campaign, including rolling for weather effects, the armor of vehicles and even the availability of water to cook pasta. To give you an idea of the scope of this simulation, its expected playtime is roughly 1,500 hours! If you were to meet once every two weeks and play for three hours at a time, you’d wrap up a single game after 20 years.

If you’re looking for a less intense and committed gaming engagement, a community group has been hosting a war game night at the library every Thursday from 4:30-6:30 p.m. Games available so far have been Onepagerules’ Age of Fantasy and Grimdark Future, as well as Metal King Studio’s Relicblade. The space is great for Warhammer: 40,000 as well. Here to Slay is another title that’s easy to jump into with no prior experience. It’s free and open to any member of the public. Feel free to bring your own board game and network with others interested in building up their brain.

Stay curious, 7B.