What to play during the holidays

Happy Friday!

Over the past 3-4 months, we have been working on a new podcast about how your favorite casual games come to life.

And we’re excited to announce the first episode just dropped!

In this first episode, join me and my co-founders as we chat about how the games we played as kids changed who we are as adults.

More episodes are coming with the creators of games like KenKen, CineNerdle, The Wiki Game, Online Solitaire, and more!

Keep an eye out every Tuesday morning for a brand-new episode. And of course, you’ll find our podcast, Hey, Good Game in all of your favorite apps.

Monopoly is a great social board game to play with a good group of people, especially during the Yuletide season.

From family members to newfound friends, the game is a great way to spend the holidays with other people. Aside from being a very competitive and entertaining game, it also boasts 18 positive mental effects!

And if you’re looking for other stimulating entertainment for the holidays that provides brainy benefits, you can take your pick from our seven free games.

Five game insights we think will pique your interest!

When it comes to games that focus on using brain power instead of just good hand-eye coordination, puzzle and strategy games are among the top. But which is objectively better? That’s a long discussion in itself, but there’s a study detailing why puzzle games are better for older people than strategy games. It primarily benefits their memory, but other notable effects are worth keeping in mind.

Your older relatives are here to spend the holidays with you, so you start to pull out the old checkers and chess boards for all of them. But sometimes, have you wondered which came first? We also asked that ourselves. Chess and checkers have been around for so long that no one tends to ask which was created first. Regardless, we’re still going to play them a lot!

Speaking of chess, do you also ask yourself “Why don’t I ever tire of playing this game? It’s always the same pieces, same field and same mechanics. So why does chess stay so fun even after playing it over and over again?” If you feel the same, then we’re in the same boat! Chess is always entertaining and will continue to be so for generations to come.

If you live near Asian communities or belong to an Asian-culture household, then you may have heard of another old game that’s played regardless if it’s the holiday season or not—Mahjong. While there are differences between the culture and mechanics of the original Chinese mahjong and the American version, one thing’s for sure; it’s an intimidating—but beautiful—game to look at!

During these times of the year, we appreciate the little things and find joy in just spending time with one another. Taking a comfy seat near the fireplace and playing a few rounds of chess with a friend or family member is a very good way to bond over the holidays. It has been a long year of work, and you deserve to kick back and enjoy yourself once in a while.

In that regard, Anatoly Karpov, Russian and former Soviet Chess Grandmaster, former World Chess Champion ⁣and current politician, had this to say that can be related to people trying to succeed and stay on top in the harsh game of life:

“To be champion requires more than simply being a strong player; one has to be a strong human being as well.”

Thanks for reading this week’s newsletter issue!

Play to your heart’s content, share precious moments with special people and don’t forget to give a hearty shout of:

Hey, Good Game!

See you next Friday!