What Can You Learn From Board Games?

Wow!

If I recall correctly, this would be my first full year of attending the Board Games Meetup.

To date, I've played around 100 games of all kinds: Cooperative, deduction, classic-euro, negotiation, diplomacy, economic, dexterity, resource management, etc...

And for each game, you can learn all kind of "soft-skills", such as:

1. Expand your vocabulary and ability to link unrelated stuffs in Codenames.

2. Train your ability to keep a straight face and "sow discord" in Secret Hitler.

3. Test your imagination and judgement skills in Dixit.

4. Your negotiation and charisma to bring people to your side in I'm the Boss.

5. Your deduction, story-telling, teamwork and puzzle solving skills in Time Stories.

The list goes on.

I think "outsiders" are still stuck in the old days where they think Board Games = Monopoly, Scrabble and Uno.

Nowadays, there are much more variety of games that engages you in all aspects.

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Recently, I've had the chance to play this game call "Panic on Wallstreet", a negotiation economic game based on luck and probability.

Playing this game, I can really feel the different styles that different kind of players adapt.

While most managers and investors play "by the rules" and negotiate in the pit, there are a couple who "strike up their own private deals". Instead of touting in the mass market, they build up their own network by personally approaching investors.

This builds up "rapport" and "regular customers" which they can take advantage of, where they have less fear of failing to sell their stocks. On the other hand, time pressure can often force managers to let go of their properties at ridiculously low-price.

We have master mathematicians who try to bid for deals where they will "never lose" (at most break-even), and master negotiators who try to squeeze every inch of juice out from the other party.

I just feel it's amazing that I can see such diverse attitudes and styles towards a simple game that simulate the real world.