There’s nothing that can quell the all-too-human love of games. However, many of us may have felt the need to do something that involves any screens or controllers, to expand our mind and spend a little less time exposing our eyes to potentially harmful blue light. Here, we’re going to look at how you can still get your fill of fun and challenge, but without the concern of video game addiction that has become an all too clear threat recently.

Board games

If the first things you think of when it comes to board games are Cluedo and Monopoly, then you might feel a little worn-out on them already. However, it might be worth spending time trying to practice some of the board games known to make you smarter, such as chess, go, or backgammon. There are also board games that get a lot more complex in the rules, which are good for lovers of strategic games or those for whom the average family board game has simply become too easy. Board games like Settlers of Catan and the Game of Thrones boardgame can involve resource management, decision making, and even negotiation like you might not have experienced before. To put it simply, there’s no end to the variety that board games can offer.

Puzzles

If you’re trying to keep your brain sharp, then there’s nothing that can give it a workout quite like a good puzzle. One of the advantages of puzzle books is that they can contain challenges of such a variety that it’s impossible to ever truly master them. You can just keep trying them, succeeding, and moving on to the next one. Books like https://www.pennydellpuzzles.com/fill-ins/ cam test not only your vocabulary but also your ability to arrange different resources (or letters and words in this case) to make sure that they fit the greater. Meanwhile, sudoku puzzles become a game of increasing numeric complexity the larger that the numbers become.

Roleplaying games

We’re not talking about things like Skyrim or Final Fantasy, but rather the kind of roleplaying games that are played with dice, pens, paper, and sometimes models. Dungeons & Dragons is the most popular and well-known variant around, but there are options to suit every taste. For instance, lovers of sci-fi might try Cyberpunk, while those who enjoy a more creepy horror vibe could potentially get into Call of Cthulu. Roleplaying games can be played in a variety of ways, so not only do they engage the imagination and ability to tell stories of each player, but they each come with a certain mechanical complexity that has to be mastered, as well. Furthermore, sites like https://roll20.net/ are making it much easier to play online in case you have trouble finding a group around you, too.

Social deduction games

If you’re looking for games to play with friends, especially those who are far away, then social deduction games could be precisely the kind of thing to keep the crowd engaged for a long time. Effectively, all social deduction games are about each player having information that they either want to keep secret or reveal to others. What follows is a game of negotiation and investigation to find out which information is real and what to do with it. The classic game, Mafia, involves people who are members of the mafia, and innocent townsfolk and no-one knows which role each person fits, so it’s their job to find out to arrest the mafiosos or, on the other side, to survive and win.

Quizzes

These might not exactly fit your definition of what a game is, but they involve testing yourself and, often, competing against others so we’re going to include them here. There are plenty of websites like https://quizizz.com/join where you can find and join quizzes of all sorts. If you’re trying to stay away from screens then there are, of course, plenty of quiz books you can buy, too. Quizzes can be more than just a convenient way to pass the time, too. There are competitive quizzing leagues that can really put your general knowledge to the test if you feel like you’re not getting challenged enough. Quizzing can also be done alone or with friends, online or offline, making it one more the more versatile types of “games.”

Simply put, there is no shortage of games that you can play, either alone or with your friends, that allow you to test your skills and wits. There’s nothing wrong with playing some video games, too, of course, but finding a balance can greatly help you appreciate each of them.