Puzzle games make up a pretty wide portion of the gaming scene. There are a million different subgenres, a million different scenarios, and logic can be applied in any which way the developer sees fit.
Puzzle games can be simple on the surface and have an ocean of depth beneath – a recent title such as Blue Prince is a prime example of that, and who out there has played Portal and not absolutely loved it?
There’s often a lot going on in a puzzle that you never would expect, and being able to work it out, find the scraps of lore that have been left behind, and piece together the story (as well as the actual and literal puzzles in front of you), is what makes this such a great genre to get involved with.
But if you’re not really a puzzle game person, should you start playing more puzzle games? We certainly recommend giving them a try, and even if it’s not the genre for you, you might find something in these games that you really enjoy.
And if you need a little more convincing about it, here are some top reasons for bringing more puzzles into your life.
They’re a Fun Way to Sharpen Cognitive Skills
Puzzles can make your brain all the sharper. The more you ‘puzzle’, as it were, the more you’re likely to see the world in the same patterns and solutions. If you’d like to have a more rational approach to everyday situations, or even other hobbies that you like to do, taking on a few more puzzles could very well help.
And the cognitive benefits of puzzles don’t end there. You’re likely to improve both your short and long term memory through the use of puzzles, and you could even make a difference to your attention span. If you’re someone who finds it hard to stay on just one thing at a time, a good puzzle will pull you in and remind you just how capable you really are.
Plus, puzzle games are just a fun way to sharpen cognitive skills like these. You don’t need to spend time trying to brush up on them in ways that don’t interest you; a good puzzle game that you’re genuinely enjoying could contain everything you could ever need.
You Can Improve Your Focus
We touched on attention span in the point above, but now we’re going to delve into the world of focusing! After all, the two are separate things that often come together to interact in a unique way. Even if you’re capable of paying attention, if you’re not focusing, nothing is going to go in!
But puzzle games can make it a lot easier to manage this sense of focus, whether you have a background issue with being able to do so or not. Puzzles often require a bit of effort, and if you don’t put your all into them, you’re not going to be able to solve them! And the better the puzzle, the more likely you are to want to put that time and effort in!
That can make it easier to brush up on your focus skills, and you might find it rather effortless to maintain your focus in other areas of your life as well. Puzzle games are pretty good for helping you discover that wealth of ability!
They Can Help You to Wind Down
Winding down after a long and hard day is crucial to good mental health. You need to have an outlet there to help you feel better and process the stuff you’ve had to deal with. And guess what? Puzzle games are great for that!
They’re not mindless activities that feel numbing to play, but they don’t take too much mental energy either. They often strike the right balance between distraction and absorption, and they don’t feel too taxing to get through either.
If that’s the kind of experience you’ve been looking for from a video game, be sure to give puzzle games more of a go. You might find they’re exactly the kind of mindful activity you’ve been after, helping you to stay grounded in the present while dealing with difficult things going on in the world around you.
You Can Learn a Lot
Puzzles can teach you a lot when you play them. Even if you don’t garner any details or facts as you go, there’s a lot to learn about thinking laterally, using logic, and approaching things in different ways. After all, if you’ve banged your head against a wall for hours trying to crack this one puzzle, clearly something is going wrong in the way you’re trying to solve it!
Of course, some puzzles do offer you some actual and literal nuggets of information to take away with you. A game like wordle, for example, can help you to expand your vocabulary, and even help you to become a better speller. If that’s the kind of puzzle you do prefer, feel free to find as many different games that are like it and give them a go!
But if you’d prefer to have a less linear way to game, be sure to look into the abstract and unusual. There are plenty of puzzle games out there that bring that sense of the unknown into the light. A game like Limbo combines puzzling with emotion and playing on your expectations, all the way telling you nothing about who you are, why you’re here, and what you’re trying to do.
But there’s so much to be learned from a game like this, in terms of your skills, your thought processes, and how you unravel a story that isn’t fed to you on a plate.
They’re Easy to Play on the Go
If you love gaming, but don’t get to do so as much as you’d really like, puzzle games can bridge that gap quite nicely! Most puzzle games come in mobile form, and you can take them along with you wherever it is you’re headed.
You can play a puzzle game on your morning commute to work, or on your break when you’re in the middle of your shift. You can play them when you’re on public transport, off to meet a friend for lunch. And you can play them from the comfort of your own bed or sofa when you’re just at home not doing much else.
Popular puzzle games like Case of the Golden Idol (as well as its sequel) are on Netflix Games, which can be downloaded to your phone for free with a Netflix subscription. So, if you’re already paying for the streaming subscription every single month, you can play some games to go with the comfort shows you love so much!
Do You Need More Puzzle Games in Your Life?
Maybe yes, maybe no – or maybe you don’t have strong opinions either way! No matter what camp you fall in, trying out a few more puzzles will have its benefits. From improving your focus to helping you feel calm and serene in those more difficult moments, there’s plenty to be gained from trying out a few more puzzles on a regular basis.
And if the word ‘puzzle’ immediately brings to mind an old and boring sudoku or wordsearch, we’re here to remind you that puzzles make up most of the gaming mechanics we know and love today. There’s a puzzle out there for everyone; you just need to find the type that suits you!
