Board games or moving around outside, which is best for you?

Board games and physical activities are great hobbies to engage your mind or body respectively. But is there a way to get the best of both worlds?

Both of them have their own pros and cons, and at the end of the day, it all comes down to personal preference. Some people prefer hunkering down and stimulating their minds with a good board game, while others enjoy hiking toward a mountain peak.

Speaking of a mountain peak, the creator of Word Peaks was a recent guest on our podcast. While playing Word Peaks may not be the same as hiking or sharing a board game, the mental stimulation and the calming vistas that it offers are worth experiencing yourself!

Five game insights we think will pique your interest!

With that trail of thought in mind, then it’s probably the best time to introduce you to one of the quirky yet quickly emerging competitive sports in the world—Chess Boxing, an ideal culmination of a board game and a physical activity. It sounds exactly as it is; you play chess and box in a ring in intervals and you win if you knock your opponent out or checkmate them. It sounds weird and funny, but there is a very dedicated movement behind it!

If you need more proof that board games are great for the mind, then here’s a study about Scrabble as a tool for improving critical thinking. Scrabble isn’t just for word game addicts. It’s designed in a way that most people can easily pick up on its mechanics and start having fun. And in this case, Scrabble both entertains and educates.

Tired of playing Scrabble? Not to worry, Scattergories might just be the refreshing take on a word game that you need. It has a different ruleset, but it’s very easy to learn and play, so don’t be afraid to switch it up with your friends and family.

If you decide to go the physical route and go hiking, then traversing trails can be a relatively silent affair. Most kids tend to get bored with this, but there are a lot of ways to make the activity both fun and fulfilling for all ages.

Who knew things like Chess Boxing could exist? Two very different competitive sports are molded into one, finding a quirky balance between brain and brawn. Aside from Chess Boxing, there are many other examples of board games and physical activity meeting halfway and creating an experience containing both sides' best traits. And now that we think about it, the classic film Jumanji fits the criteria as well!

So if you want to start off and succeed, whether it is on a board game, physical activity or anything else beyond the two, remember what Allan Rufus, an author, speaker and life coach, imparted:

“Life is like a game of chess. To win, you have to make a move.”

Thank you for reading this week’s newsletter. Our podcast is updated regularly so we always have fresh content you can look forward to—beyond our games and newsletters of course!

And if you want to learn more about what we’re up to at Hey, Good Game, you can find out more right here. 

Nothing’s sweeter than having a jolly good time with friends, indoors or outdoors, and just messing around and ending it off with a cheer of:

Hey, Good Game!