The Importance of Playing Games

You are probably familiar with the exceptional benefits of playing a game. Regardless of one's age and physical ability, games such as golf , billiards, board games, etc. are considered to be those types of recreational activities that people select to try in order to increase their mental and/or physical skills while enjoying the excitement. But since games are played primarily for the mere enjoyment they offer, some people tend to consider them unnecessary and a waste of time. Nothing could further away from the truth. Games increase a person's capabilities and assist in developing a better understanding of ourselves. Games should be fun for one to want to continue practicing them, but they can also have an educational nature. Most importantly, games can affect a person's psychological state leading to excitement and the feeling of one being proud for an accomplishment. Games are not a waste of free time. Actually free time is the time one should devote in exploring his or her abilities through games and have fun in educating and exercising his or her body and mind.
Generally, a game consists of a goal that its players try to reach and usually has a set of rules within which a person has to succeed accomplishing the desired objective. These commonly agreed boundaries exist so as to test peoples' skills and invite them to develop new ways in managing the obstacles that might hinder them from attaining the game's goal. But, due to the vast variety of known games all around the world, agreeing on a single definition has been rather challenging. People in different time periods, countries, and contexts, have tried to capture the essence of games and come up with a classification that could serve all games' purposes. Upon examining some etymological dictionaries, one can conclude that games are a creative expression of the human spirit through the creation of an activity that has an entertaining, instructive and competing element. Regardless if a game is played by a single individual or requires competing teams, involves physical as well as mental activity, has a concrete or loose set of rules and structure, needs some or all of the available resources, it always leads to an outcome. There is usually a winner and a looser and whether a participant belongs to the one or to the other side of this simple distinction makes all the difference in the world.
With the plethora of existing games for different target groups like kids, teenagers, adults or seniors, anthropologists have proposed their classification under three major clusters. One can decide to play a game of skill, which can be mental or physical. Checkers for example use their mental skills to successfully complete a game of chess, while runners use their body's capacity to overcome natural obstacles like that of wind and gravity, or their own bodies' ability to outrun itself. The second game category is that of strategy games, like the Monopoly board game that requires from participants to reach a particular outcome over a specific time frame based on their available resources. Third, there are games of chance that base their popularity on economic insecurity and are associated with cultures that place a high value on personal responsibility. Finally, people tend to play mixed games. These games, like soccer (football) and basketball, involve both physical skill and strategic thinking and in many cases their outcome is based on chance.
Now that you know how important is for you to play games, next time someone invites you to participate in another friendly baseball match do not try to avoid the invitation because you think it is a waste of time. Games, despite their character can help you clear your mind and can change your mood. Thus, tomorrow get up, pick your favorite game, find your opponents, make it your new hobby, and experience the tremendous effect a game's round can have in your life.

people's view about game

Some people claim that there is no benefit from games and sports at all especially for adults. But in actual fact, sports and games have many benefits for children and also for adults. They release pressure and teach us skills of surviving in this tough life. Also, they provide entertainment and pleasure and help socialize our lives.

Experts said that practicing sports releaseS pressure since the tired body releases Hormones that relax us and make us feel better. For example, I am used to swimming/I USUALLY SWIM before exam times by/FOR 1 hour, and after swimming, I find that I totally relax and loose/LOSE anxiety and that helps me a lot doing well in exams and getting high grades. Moreover, students need good health. For example, it is difficult for non athletic students to walk fast from one side of the campus to the other to catch (up) their classes and even if they could, they would reach classes but exhausted and so can not pay attention to lectures.

Playing sports and games will teach you many skills that you need in this tough life. For example, competing with others is everyday's/A DAILY habit that no one would success/SUCCEED without it. They also, teach you how to accept loosing/LOSING and how to try again and again till achieving your goals. These ARE exactly the things that people practice daily when they play sports and games.

Being adults does not mean that you don’t need entertainment. Rather I see many old people playing video games in my city since video games satisfy them. For example, once I am not happy/WHEN I AM UNHAPPY, I turn my Play Station 2 on, play football with my 80 year old grandmother and when I defeat her hardly/COMPLETELY, I feel that am in high spirits.

Playing games and sports has important advantages in a way that it socializes our lives. For example, when people intend to play basketball, they do it in groups. That will give them team spirit and a chance to identify each other very well and make friendships and relationships. For example, I was a shy lonely boy when I met a sporty guy who loves to play basketball. Then he introduced me to his team and I started playing with theme/THEM and step by step/GRADUALLY, I became a social happy boy filled with team spirit that helps me a lot in my family life and my career life.

And so, it is not true that sports and games do not have advantages for adults, since they decrease the stress, teach us skills that we need, satisfy us, and socialize our lives. And to get the most of the benefits, they should be practiced daily.

Benefits of Sports and Games

Some people claim that there is no benefit from games and sports at all especially for adults. But in actual fact, sports and games have many benefits for children and also for adults. They release pressure and teach us skills of surviving in this tough life. Also, they provide entertainment and pleasure and help socialize our lives.

Experts said that practicing sports release pressure since the tired body releases Hormones that relax us and make us feel better. For example, I am used to swimming before exam times by 1 hour, and after swimming, I find that I totally relax and loose anxiety and that helps me a lot doing well in exams and getting high grades. Moreover, students need good health. For example, it is difficult for non athletic students to walk fast from one side of the campus to the other to catch up their classes and even if they could, they would reach classes but exhausted and so can not pay attention to lectures.

Playing sports and games will teach you many skills that you need in this tough life. For example, competing with others is everyday's habit that no one would success without it. They also, teach you how to accept loosing and how to try again and again till achieving your goals. These exactly the things that people practice daily when they play sports and games.

Being adults does not mean that you don’t need entertainment. Rather I see many old people playing video games in my city since video games satisfy them. For example, once I am not happy, I turn my Play Station 2 on, play football with my 80 years old grandmother and when I defeat her hardly, I feel that am in high spirits.

Playing games and sports has important advantages in a way that it socializes our lives. For example, when people intend to play basketball, they do it in groups. That will give them team spirit and a chance to identify each other very well and make friendships and relationships. For example, I was a shy lonely boy when I met a sporty guy who loves to play basketball. Then he introduced me to his team and I started playing with theme and step by step, I became a social happy boy filled with team spirit that helps me a lot in my family life and my career life.

And so, it is not true that sports and games do not have advantages for adults, since they decrease the stress, teach us skills that we need, satisfy us, and socialize our lives. And to get the most of the benefits, they should be practiced daily.

Thanks

10 Benefits Of Video Games

Gaming both video and computer has become more than a fad, it is a part of life. First generation video game players have now become adult and carry their passion to adulthood. Parents and teachers worry about games having negative effects on children and a great deal has been written about games leading to violent behavior and addiction. However, all is not negative about gaming, studies by leading researchers have shown that video and computer games have many benefits:
1. Games help children who are ill or have injuries. Absorption in a game distracts the mind from pain and discomfort. Many hospitals are encouraging children and others undergoing painful treatments to play games.
2. Griffiths a professor at Nottingham University wrote in a medical journal that playing games could help children with attention deficit disorders. Research indicates that the children could gain social skills.
3. Many medical departments are using computer games as a form of physiotherapy. Games help people who are recovery from physical injuries gain motor skills and coordination too.
4. Video games and computer games are known to improve hand-eye co-ordination and help players gain many skills.
5. Games induce decision making and tech players to think on their feet.
6. Games create team players and hone social skills too.
7. Games are known to enhance creativity and inculcate a taste for graphics, design and technology.
8. Many games improve language and math skills as players have to move at a great speed along with the heroes of the game.
9. Video and computer games help children gain self confidence and many games are based on history, city building, and governance and so on. Such games indirectly teach children about aspects of life on earth.
10. Games teach players problem solving, motivation, and cognitive skills. Most games inspire players to strive and reach more difficult levels presenting challenges at each stage.
Gaming video or computers has positive as well as negative effects. Anything in moderation is not a problem. Parents and children need to be able to decide how much gaming is permissible and what kind of gaming. Parents must teach their children what is good and what is bad. Gaming is like any other activity in life, too much hamburger or pizza can be harmful too.
The world of gaming is constantly changing. The internet is replete with articles and tips written by experts on gaming, benefits, and disadvantages, it is important to be informed parents and game players. Read up on games and learn how to choose games that are beneficial. Know what your child is doing at all times. Place your trust in your child but ensure that he or she is able to gauge accurately right from wrong

LIFE Tiles of game

A major change to the game in this version is the collection of "LIFE Tiles" as one progresses through the game. Every time a player lands on a space marked with the LIFE logo they collect a LIFE tile, (a small rectangular game piece with the "LIFE" logo on one side and an event on the other along with a sum of money collected from this accomplishment). (These also replace the previous "collecting presents" rule). On each of these tiles is a major life event (e.g. climbing Mt. Everest, curing the common cold, building a better mousetrap, etc.). Each of these tiles bears an amount from $50,000 to $250,000. The tiles are not revealed until all players have "retired", at which point they are flipped over and their total is added to the player's money total.
If at any time the draw pile of LIFE Tiles is depleted, a player may steal one from any active player remaining in the game, or certain "retired" players (see Retirement section below).

[edit] Buying a house

One of the red spaces in the game is buying a house. At this point in the game, the player must immediately draw one House Deed and pay to the bank whatever that house costs (ranging from a $200,000 Victorian mansion, to a $40,000 "split-level" shack). From then on, homeowners' insurance may be purchased for a price listed on the house deed.

[edit] Insurance and stock

In this version, there are two insurance policies (automobile and home owners') that prevent the player from being affected by a number of "tragedy" spaces throughout the board. Purchasing a Stock certificate still costs $50,000, however its role is very limited in this series. Upon purchasing stock, the player chooses a stock card numbered between 1 and 9. From that point, any time any player spins that number, the stockholder collects $10,000 from the bank. A player may only hold one stock card at a time unless landing on a space marked "Stock Market Zooms", at which point a free stock card is chosen. Likewise, "Stock Market Slumps" costs the stockholder one stock card. Each number has only one stock and will not be available to others as they are being purchased.

[edit] Retirement

When a player reaches the end of the game, there are two options to "retire". One is to place their car at Millionaire Estates (largely unchanged from the previous version), or, may retire at Countryside Acres (previously the "Bankrupt" space). Each has its benefits and risks.
If a player thinks he or she will end the game with the most cash, the best option is to retire at Millionaire Estates. Four LIFE Tiles are placed here before the start of the game. After all players have finished the game, they count their cash on hand; whoever has the most cash receives these four tiles (in the rare occurrence of a tie, they are split). However, if other players are still playing the game and the LIFE Tile draw pile is empty, these players may still steal tiles from anyone retired at this space.
If a player is not confident in the amount of cash on hand, they may retire to Countryside Acres. By retiring here, they collect one LIFE tile and no other players can steal tiles from him/her for the remainder of the game.
After all players have retired, the amounts on the LIFE Tiles are revealed and whoever has the most money (cash on hand added to the combined total of one's LIFE Tiles + house value) is the winner.

[edit] CD-ROM version

In 1998, a CD-ROM version of the game was produced by Hasbro which added computerized moves and short animations to the game. An option was also given for players to compete in games over the Internet.
Several features of the 1980s version were also resurrected for this version of the game, such as "collecting presents" for marriage and kids (one spin at $2,000 times spin for marriage, one spin at $1,000 times spin for a child, two spins at $1,000 per spin for twins) and exacting "Revenge" on other players (If one landed on a Pay Day space, one would take an amount of money equal to one's salary from a player of one's choice. Players retired at Countryside Acres were presumably immune from being selected). Also the routine for retiring changed. Retired players still spun the wheel on their turn, this time to gain or lose money. The difference between Countryside Acres and Millionaire Estates is that the former only had one space in which the player could lose money, but the payouts were lower. The latter offered bigger payouts, but also had more numerous and severe penalty spaces, thus adding more risk to retiring here. This changed retiring strategy quite a bit, making come-from-behind victories possible if Millionaire Estate retirees' luck turned for the worse:

Number spun	Countryside Acres	Millionaire Estates
1	-$5,000	-$25,000
2	$5,000	$25,000
3	$10,000	-$50,000
4	$15,000	$50,000
5	$20,000	-$75,000
6	$25,000	$75,000
7	$30,000	-$100,000
8	$35,000	$100,000
9	$40,000	-$150,000
10	$45,000	$200,000

[edit] Life's Little Games

Different versions of the game were offered on the CD-ROM. The Classic game followed the rules of the current board game. An Enhanced Game was also offered which replaced the LIFE Tiles with "Life's Little Games" (simple arcade type games which offered the player a chance to win bonus money). In the Enhanced game, when a player landed on a space that would ordinarily award them a LIFE tile, they instead spun the wheel. Random items were assigned to each space, being either a cash amount or one of the games. One exception was spinning 10, which allowed the player to spin again and multiplied the player's winnings from whatever they landed on. The space started at Double and the multiplier increased by one for each successive spin of 10. The other exception was spinning 5, which was marked "Revenge" and gave the player another spin, but not before choosing one opponent from whom to take one's winnings from the game (or presumably give to, if the player finished with a negative score in Up or Down). Players retired at Countryside Acres are immune from being selected for revenge.
The values used in "Life's Little Games" were typically $5,000, $10,000, $25,000, $50,000, $75,000, and $100,000. Regardless of whether a player clicks DONE, exhausts all turns, or (in the case of Skunk Money) loses the accumulated winnings, all boxes are revealed before the next player spins.

[edit] Safe Cracker

The player has four tries to reveal as high an amount as possible. If satisfied that (s)he cannot achieve a higher amount with any remaining attempts, the player clicks DONE.

[edit] Up or Down

There is one of each denomination from $5,000 to $100,000. There is also one of each denomination in the negative, which subtracts this amount from a player's potential gain (and is painted the complementary color). A player can choose as many spots as seen fit and stop at any time by clicking the DONE box.

[edit] Get a Life

All letters in the word L-I-F-E must be uncovered in six clicks or fewer. Every letter appears alone in three different spots on the grid, in the form, position, and colors of the Life ident. If the word is revealed in four clicks, the player gains $100,000. In five clicks, the gain is $75,000. In six, it is $50,000. During the course of this game, a corner display, again in the form of the LIFE ident, keeps track of the player's progress by indicating which letters have and have not yet been uncovered.

[edit] Treasure Chest

There are two of each denomination from $5,000 to $100,000. The player has six tries to reveal two identical amounts. The game ends upon a match or exhausting all six turns.

[edit] Skunk Money

There are no $75,000 or $100,000 spots on this board. One spot is worth $50,000; two are worth $20,000; six are worth $10,000. One spot reads "DOUBLE YOUR WINNINGS" and thus doubles the potential amount. The other two spots contain a skunk. If a skunk is uncovered, the game ends and no money is gained. A player can stop at any time by clicking the DONE box.

[edit] Cannonball

There are two of each denomination from $5,000 to $100,000. Like Treasure Chest, the idea is to uncover two spots containing the same denomination. Unlike Treasure Chest, a player can achieve more than one match over the course of the game. In this take on the Memory Game, the player has four tries and therefore eight clicks to get as many matches as possible.

[edit] Crane Dump

Only included in the PC version, this game involved a player moving a crane left or right on top of a game board very similar to Plinko from The Price is Right. When the player was satisfied with the crane's position, they dropped the ball into the board, where it would land in a slot on the bottom. The slots were labeled with money amounts ranging from $10,000 to $100,000. No more than one ball at a time could occupy a slot. If a second ball did land in a slot, both balls would be destroyed, leaving the slot empty. After six balls, the total winnings were tallied and awarded to the player. The player could also stop early by clicking the "stop" button.

[edit] Trash Can

Another PC exclusive, this game was essentially the converse of Crane Dump. It involved the player moving a white bucket between the slots of Crane Dump. When they were satisfied with the bucket's position, they dropped the ball from the crane above (the crane in this game was stationary) in hopes that it would land in the bucket. The player was allotted six balls; each ball that successfully landed in the bucket awarded the player $50,000, making the maximum possible winnings $300,000

Upon adding a member to the family (getting married, having children, etc.) the player "collected presents" from each of the other players. At marriage, this amount was determined by spinning the wheel: spinning 1, 2, or 3 was worth $2,000 per opponent; 4, 5, or 6 was worth $1,000; 7 through 10 earned nothing. In the case of children, the player was awarded a flat $1,000; if the player had twins or adopted two children, the amount was doubled. A house cost a flat $40,000 and buying one was one of the red spaces (i.e. all players had to buy a house at the time they landed on or passed this space).

[edit] Insurance and stock

In this version, the three insurance policies (automobile, life and fire) prevented the player from being affected by a number of "tragedy" spaces throughout the board (house fires, car wrecks, etc.) which cost the player a significant amount of money if landed on without being insured. Buying life insurance activated certain spaces which awarded dividends if landed on. Automobile and fire insurance could be lost permanently if the player landed on a "careless" or "reckless driver" space. Life insurance had the possibility of "maturing" with large financial gains if a person holding a policy landed on the corresponding space.
The Stock certificate played a much more important (and realistic) role in this version than in later versions. Purchasing a Stock certificate cost $50,000; however, many of the high-payout spaces (such as "striking oil" with its $480,000 payout) were only active if the player owned stock. In addition, a couple of white spaces allowed the player the opportunity to "play the market" if he or she desired, in a game similar to the Lucky Day space (explained below). If the bearer landed on a space indicating a rise in stock prices, the player collected money accordingly and if they landed on a "stock prices drop" space, they likewise lost money.

[edit] Lucky Day

Several of the spaces were marked "Lucky Day"; if the player landed on a Lucky Day they immediately received $20,000 (paid with two $10,000 bills). The player could keep the money or gamble it for the chance to turn it into $300,000. To gamble, the player placed each of the $10,000 bills on one of the numbers printed on a large "number strip" provided with the game and spun the wheel. If it landed on an empty number, the player lost the $20,000; however, if it landed on a number with a $10,000 bill, the player was given $300,000.

[edit] Retirement

When a player reached the end of the game they could retire to the "Millionaire" space if they thought they had the most money. In some circumstances, all players would retire here after reaching the end of the game, at which point they would count their money. The player with the most money won the game.
If a player was trailing near the end of the road they could make one final gamble in an attempt to become the "Millionaire Tycoon". The player selected one number on the number strip and placed their car on it. Upon spinning the wheel, 9 of the 10 numbers forced the player to move to the "Bankrupt" space, losing the game. However, if the correct number was selected, the player became the Millionaire Tycoon and automatically won the game.

[edit] 1991 version

The Game of Life was updated in 1991 to reward players for "good" behavior, such as recycling trash and helping the homeless ("penalty" spaces in previous versions). The 1992 version of the game proceeds as follows:

[edit] Careers and salaries

There are still two routes at the beginning of the game, now labeled Career and College. Selecting the College route now places the player in debt from the very start; however, the probability of landing a better job and a higher salary is much better than selecting the Career route. If the person lands on a "trade a salary card" space, the player had the option of "trading up". At the shared end of both paths, the player's career and salary are decided by chance. A Career Card (with such occupations as a teacher, police officer, athlete and travel agent), as well as a Salary Card (ranging in $10,000 increments from $20,000 to $100,000) are selected, as outlined below. The Police Officer has an additional bonus to it; that player automatically receives $5,000 from any player that spins a 10.
If a player chooses Career, the shorter path is taken. At its end, one occupation card and one salary card are chosen. If the selected Career card says "Degree Required", another Career Card must be drawn. The player continues the game with that specific career and salary unless another event affects the player.
If a player chooses College, two Promissory Notes must be taken from the bank for tuition and the player must take the longer path (which in this version is also more "dangerous" than the Career path). However, at its end, three Career cards and three Salary cards are chosen and the player may choose one from each set after looking at them.

[edit] Types of spaces

As in the 1980s version, most of the spaces on the game board are orange and their instructions are only followed if they are landed on. The "Pay Day" spaces are green and impact the player when landed on or passed over. Red spaces now always signify a major life event (e.g. graduation, marriage, buying a house, retirement) and must be stopped on even if the spin is greater than the number needed to land on them. The "decision" spaces are now blue and if landed on, the player can choose to follow them or do nothing. "Taxes Due" is now a normal orange space and is also only active if landed on. that player then could not be sued.

[edit] Occupation spaces

Most of the spaces requiring the player to pay money to the bank have a symbol next to them, each of which corresponds to that on one of the career cards. If any opponent has that career card, the money is paid to that opponent instead of the bank. If the player himself has that career, no money is paid.

history of game

The game was originally created in 1860 by Milton Bradley as The Checkered Game of Life. This was the first game created by Bradley, a successful lithographer, whose major product until that time was a portrait of Abraham Lincoln with a clean shaven face, which did not do very well once the subject grew his now-famous beard. The game sold 45,000 copies by the end of its first year. Like many games from the 19th century, such as The Mansion of Happiness by S.B. Ives in 1843, it had a strong moral message.^[1]
Bradley's game did not include dice, but instead used a teetotum, a six sided top (dice were considered too similar to gambling).
The game board was essentially a modified checkerboard. The object was to land on the "good" spaces and collect 100 points. A player could gain fifty points toward this goal by reaching "Happy Old Age" in the far corner, opposite "Infancy" where one began.
In 1960, the one hundredth anniversary of the game, the form of the game now known as The Game of Life, was introduced, designed by Reuben Klamer. There were many re-publishings over the years, including 1959, 1961, 1966, 1978, 1985, 1992, 2000, and 2005.