I have known for quite some time now that playing good quality board games provides a great opportunity to develop thinking and social skills. We’re talking here of skills that are becoming more important in today's rapidly changing world, be it social or professional. Strategic thinking, decision-making, team management, and negotiation skills are useful when it comes to education as well as performance in many social settings and in different workplace scenarios. I will here look at how these skills are connected, how they can be relevant for primary, secondary, and university education, and how they can help to improve the way employees work.
Thinking long-term and the ability to make good decisions is an integral part of playing board games. The need to plan in advance, taking into account available resources, and adjusting to unexpected situations tends to reflect the real challenges faced in both social and professional life. Games like Catan, which focus on managing resources and negotiating, teach players to weigh up different choices and plan for the future. On a social level, this skill can come in handy with managing one’s finances and planning for future expenditures among other things. On an educational level, this skill is equally essential. In primary school, simpler games can introduce basic planning and how to use resources optimally. The emphasis here is to keep it sufficiently simple to teach the concept while at the same time keeping the intended audience entertained. The same objective can be reached in secondary school, where more complex games could help simulate strategic scenarios and practice the process of “thinking matters through”. At university, especially in business and management courses, sophisticated board games and simulations can be used to sharpen strategic thinking in situations that are similar to real-world business problems.
For primary school children, the focus is on introducing the idea of smart planning, cause and effect, and simple planning which rests on a more visual format. Let me now showcase some games that could potentially be used within this context.
Ticket to Ride: First Journey: This is a simplified version of the popular Ticket to Ride. The game introduces route planning and resource management in an accessible format which should appeal to younger kids. As with the original game, players collect train cards to claim railway routes across a map. The process, though simplified in this version, still entails some advanced planning and judicious drafting of the right combo of cards in order to achieve a desired goal.
Forbidden Island: This is a cooperative game where players work together to collect treasures and escape a sinking island. This game strongly encourages teamwork, communication, and collective decision-making under pressure. Interestingly, at a young age, it may help the seedling social skill of interacting with others towards a common goal. At some level it also aids with developing proper listening skills and attention to what messages others on the team might be trying to convey. While as with all co-op games, there is still a risk for the team to be overruled by one overzealous Alpha player, this too can be a valid learning skill if proceedings are coached and guided by an attentive adult.
Kingdomino: In this simple to teach game, players build their kingdom by placing domino-like tiles to connect different landscapes and score points. It is a game that helps with spatial reasoning as well as planning for future tile placements. This game appeals to another aspect of intellectual development, one that rests on non-verbal manipulation of a 2 or 3-dimensional problem. This is the realm of what could become later in life a career in mechanical Engineering or architecture. The ability to think vividly in three-dimensions and to nurture this skill from a young age could, in this instance, prove highly profitable later on in life.
Mancala: Talk about classics! Mancala is an ancient game involving moving stones or beans between pits on a special board. It is simple to learn but involves planning, counting, as well as trying to predict an opponent's moves to maximize one's own final score. If the game is seen from a purely mechanistic and logical perspective, it becomes primarily a mathematics puzzle, one that can be analysed for optimal play. Yet, as with all games, here the social interaction and an understanding of your opponent can lead you down a very different rabbit hole. Mood, intention and frame of mind could, and more often do, impact the quality of the decision made by either opponent. A moment of distraction could lead to a sub-optimal decision that could in turn cost the game for one player and victory for the other.
For secondary school students, we can start to consider games that can introduce more complex rules, deeper strategic layers, and elements of negotiation and risk assessment. This would align with growing complexity when it comes to teaching intermediate strategic thinking and the ability to further optimise the decision making process.
Settlers of Catan: You cannot go wrong here with this highly popular game where players collect and trade resources to build roads, settlements, and cities on a modular board. It teaches resource management, negotiation, probability, and adapting to changing game states. A theme that recurs with most board games which have an element of randomness, adapting to change is a key take away as well as an important skill worth developing. Players can be guided to reason on the nature of agency when it comes to possible actions during play. They can be thought that even random states can be studied and taken into account when an action is taken and a path pursued. At a higher level, they can be thought to steer clear of the gambler’s fallacy and avoid taking unwarranted risks based on unproven and false assumptions. Basically while it may be possible to mitigate risks by taking decisions aligned with a sound knowledge of variance and variability, players must understand that the risks are still there and outcomes may still result in being unfavourable in the short-term.
Ticket to Ride (Standard Version): Already noted when I mentioned the "First Journey" version earlier, this game deepens route planning, risk assessment as well as weighing the pros and cons of blocking opponents from reaching their objectives. Again, here we have opportunities for students to learn the benefits of adaptability and forward planning but specific to this game we also have an interesting balancing act between achieving your own goals while at the same time engaging in disruptive tactics to inhibit opponents from achieving their own goals. All the while ensuring that your intended goals are indeed met. In most instances this tends to lead to tacit in-game diplomacy which in many cases ends up being contingent on the philosophy of play espoused by the players at the table. A player who cherishes confrontation will be on the forefront of disruptive manoeuvres leveraging plays to stop opponents from achieving their goals. Players with a more amenable mindset might instead opt for a more conciliatory approach, focusing instead on their objectives so long as their adversaries do not intrude into their plans. These are essentially realities anyone business-inclined will face once they venture into the market with their business models. Competition in the real world can indeed be fierce and lessons learned at the board gaming table could help develop a better understanding of the type of business competitors faced later in life.
Pandemic: The quintessential cooperative game where players work together as specialists to stop global disease outbreaks. It emphasises teamwork, goal setting, resource allocation, and crisis management. What applies to my comments to “Forbidden Island” also apply here. Only that here, at secondary level, students would have hopefully matured their concepts related to team-play and cooperation under crisis. Pandemic does bring “urgency” to the board in ways that few other titles do. The in-game pressure is usually sufficient to keep everyone on their toes but never overwhelming, as long as teamplay is duly leveraged throughout.
Carcassonne: In this tile-placement classic, players build a medieval landscape of cities, roads, and monasteries, by placing "meeples" (followers) to score points. It develops spatial reasoning, tactical placement, and an appreciation of area control. To be fair, area control is expressed in terms of the cities a player can claim as her or her own as well as monasteries and perhaps fields if players opt to play using this scoring opportunity. While there is a fair amount of variance in terms of the order in which tiles are effectively drawn during play, players can still mitigate this to some degree by adopting an adaptive mindset.
Chess: You cannot mention strategy games without dropping this timeless creation. It requires players to think many moves ahead, anticipate opponent actions, evaluate multiple options, and adapt strategies. It's excellent for developing logical thinking, focus, and concentration. Furthermore it also tends to scale well if players of equal skill are paired up as part of the learning process. Apart from all this, Chess is also a clear example of a game of perfect information where any decision taken is clearly tied to information available to both players. There is no randomness here that could otherwise thwart a play from affecting an optimal strategy if one is identified. Yet chess play can be affected by other aspects of gameplay. Chess will tend to reward stronger memory and memory recalls. Clearly players with a propensity to recall past plays with accuracy will stand a better chance at performing optimally while playing this game. Likewise players with an acute and heightened sense of forward planning and pattern recognition when it comes to determining board states, will also be strong candidates towards playing successfully.
When you deal with students at university level or perhaps young adults on their first job assignments, the games you could now look into are those that can offer significant depth, complex long-range planning, intricate decision trees, negotiation, economic simulation, and long-term objectives. Goes without saying that these games will tend to be of a longer duration reflecting the increase in mental stamina which is normally attributable to adults.
Terraforming Mars: In this game, players take on the roles of corporations working to make Mars habitable by raising temperature, oxygen, and ocean levels. This game involves extensive resource management, project planning, engine building, and competing for milestones and awards. It's a deep economic and scenario planning simulation. Indeed while the model here is rooted in educated guesses and science to some degree, it is still a valid strategic exercise which balances short-term and long-term goals within a competitive race-type game.
Twilight Struggle: This game is one for the history buffs which is basically a two-player game simulating the Cold War. Players use cards to exert influence, trigger events, and engage in proxy wars. It's highly tactical, requiring players to balance military, political, and economic considerations, and anticipate opponent moves across a complex political landscape.
7 Wonders: This game is definitely one of my favourites, a card-drafting game where players lead one of the seven great cities of the ancient world. Decisions here involve balancing military strength, scientific development, cultural achievements, and economic growth, often requiring players to "read" their opponents' intentions based on their drafts.
Some cooperative board games, like The Crew, Pandemic, and Forbidden Island, are built on the concept of team management and collaboration. They require players to communicate effectively and work together to achieve shared goals, mirroring how teamwork is becoming increasingly vital in modern workplaces. These games can be introduced in schools to teach the importance of cooperation from an early age, in secondary schools to explore group dynamics, and in universities as practical exercises for leading teams, resolving disagreements, and coordinating projects.
Board games also often involve risk management, as players must weigh potential rewards against possible losses. This develops essential risk assessment skills for making informed business decisions, particularly in uncertain situations. Clank!, for example, constantly requires players to balance risk and reward, a central theme despite its fantasy setting. The concept of risk management can be taught in secondary schools to introduce the basic ideas of risk and reward. In universities, especially in finance, economics, and entrepreneurship, these games can simulate complex risk scenarios, preparing students for real-world uncertainty. Professionals skilled in risk management are better equipped to make strategic decisions, navigate market changes, and ensure their organisations' long-term stability and growth.
Engaging in modern board games that replicate complex systems and require long-term decision-making offers a low-risk environment for substantial learning and growth. The skills developed translate directly to professional life.
I'm advocating for board games as part of a balanced lifestyle. It's about using a hobby to sharpen vital interpersonal skills, which are crucial for professional development and can benefit more remunerative activities.
In order to offer a clear idea how these games could help, I will be focusing on the following qualities and then attempt to map games and concepts that stand to improve each.
- Negotiation
- Ethics
- Cooperation
- Innovation and
- Long term strategic planning
Negotiation
Games like Settlers of Catan or Sidereal Confluence place negotiation at the heart of their gameplay. Players are required to trade resources with others to achieve their own objectives. This environment necessitates the development of persuasive communication skills, the ability to assess value and a keen sense of timing. In the workplace this skill will most likely have an effect on the process of resource allocation, project bargaining as well as when it comes to forming cross-departmental partnerships. Good negotiation skills will often increase the odds of successful outcomes when the underlying processes necessitate building rapport and finding a mutually beneficial solution rather than simply competing.
Ethics
Ethical decision making is woven into the fabric of many board games particularly those with a strong narrative or competitive element. Games where a player can break an alliance for a decisive advantage or make a choice that harms another player's progress force a consideration of fair play. While a board game may have a ruthless win at all costs mechanic, the experience prompts reflection on the moral dimensions of our choices. It provides a safe space, a sandbox if you will, to explore the consequences of an action and to consider how a similar scenario might play out with real world professional relationships and reputations at stake.
Cooperation
Cooperative games such as Pandemic or Forbidden Island require every participant to work together against a shared challenge. The game is not won by a single player but by the collective efforts of the entire group. These experiences enhance communication problem solving and shared leadership. Players must effectively communicate threats, coordinate their actions and make joint decisions under pressure. This directly correlates with the need for strong team dynamics in the workplace whether in a crisis scenario or simply while collaborating on a shared project. It fosters a culture of mutual support and a collective sense of achievement. As with negotiation earlier on, skilled cooperation offers an alternative to outright confrontational competition. While cooperation, as with the other qualities discussed here, cannot be used or seen in isolation, it can still become an indispensable tool in a professional’s arsenal of skills.
Innovation
Innovation in board games is often found in the engine building or strategic card play genres such as Terraforming Mars or 7 Wonders. These games require players to creatively combine different components and abilities to create a highly efficient system that produces resources or points. The game rewards non-linear thinking and the ability to find new or unexpected synergies between different elements. It is these intricate branching of decisions taken on each turn that makes this game such an interesting candidate when it comes to teaching innovation. Players could just as well adopt a go-with-the-flow mentality, but to win consistently a player needs to go beyond that. In a professional setting an innovation mindset cultivates creative problem solving and process improvement. It teaches individuals to look beyond standard practices and to experiment with new ways of working to achieve better results.
Long-term strategic planning
Many complex board games are designed around long-term planning. Games like Brass Birmingham or Twilight Struggle demand that players think many turns ahead and establish a coherent strategy from the outset. A single decision in the early stages can have significant and lasting effects on the outcome. This contrasts with short term tactical thinking which focuses on the immediate gain. The experience develops the foresight needed for business planning project roadmaps and career development. It teaches the discipline of adhering to a long term vision while remaining adaptable enough to react to a changing landscape. Quick gains often come with their own medium to long term consequences and failing to grasp the import of such consequences can lead to deleterious if not catastrophic consequences later on down the line.
What I have tried to illustrate here is that learning outcomes from playing board games can be very relevant to education, social and professional development. As I have explained above, modern board games can help to develop essential skills in strategic thinking, team management, problem-solving, ethics, innovation, feedback, negotiation, and risk management. As far as I am concerned, introducing board games to students across all educational levels, from primary to university, can significantly contribute to shaping more engaged and productive citizens, employees, and professionals.
Referenced Games
- 7 Wonders. Designed by Antoine Bauza. Repos Production.
- Brass: Birmingham. Designed by Martin Wallace. Roxley Games.
- Carcassonne. Designed by Klaus-Jürgen Wrede. Hans im Glück.
- Catan (originally The Settlers of Catan). Designed by Klaus Teuber. Kosmos.
- Chess. Traditional game.
- Clank! Designed by Paul Dennen. Dire Wolf Digital.
- Forbidden Island. Designed by Matt Leacock. Gamewright.
- Kingdomino. Designed by Bruno Cathala. Blue Orange Games.
- Mancala. Traditional game (various versions exist).
- Pandemic. Designed by Matt Leacock. Z-Man Games.
- Sidereal Confluence. Designed by TauCeti Deichmann. WizKids.
- Terraforming Mars. Designed by Jacob Fryxelius. Stronghold Games.
- The Crew: The Quest for Planet Nine. Designed by Thomas Sing. KOSMOS.
- Ticket to Ride (Standard Version). Designed by Alan R. Moon. Days of Wonder.
- Ticket to Ride: First Journey. Designed by Alan R. Moon. Days of Wonder.
- Twilight Struggle. Designed by Ananda Gupta and Jason Matthews. GMT Games.
Read more on the Subject
BoardGameGeek (BGG): This is the largest online database and community for board games. While not strictly academic, it's an invaluable resource for information on virtually any board game, including detailed descriptions, reviews, forums, and a vast user base discussing game mechanics, strategies, and often educational applications.
Link: BoardGameGeek
Board Game Academics / Board Game Studies Journal: This platform and journal are dedicated to the academic study of board games. They publish research and host discussions on the role of modern tabletop board games in society and education.
Link: Board Game Academics and Board Game Studies Journal
Serious Games Society / GALA Conference: This organization and its annual GALA Conference focus on "serious games," which are games designed for a primary purpose other than pure entertainment, such as education, training, or health. Their website and conference proceedings often feature research on game-based learning methodologies.
Link: Serious Games Society and GALA Conf
Tabletop Alliance: A non-profit organization dedicated to supporting the use of games through its network of educators, librarians, and community leaders across the US. They provide resources and advocate for the positive impact of games on student success and the development of critical skills.
Link: Tabletop Alliance
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