>U Mom Knows Best: The Power Of Online Games For a Healthy Mind

Friday, September 17, 2021

The Power Of Online Games For a Healthy Mind

Think playing online games is a waste of time? Think again as online games can help keep your mind sharp.


 This past year had everyone stuck at home. My husband was working from home and my boys were participating in online school. Myself, I have always stayed home. Staying home during a pandemic also meant that the kids could not hang out with their friends nor attend youth group at church. So things were very different for us.

 The virtual school that the boys were attending through their school was too easy for the boys. The excitement of not having to attend in-person school wore off quickly for my boys. So not being able to leave the house to see their friends left my boys into a state of boredom. My boys started playing more games on the computer and at first, I was ok with it. Then I started to wonder if playing online games was harming my boys. 

 I have never really been into playing games online so I just could not understand what makes playing online games fun. My husband has always enjoyed playing online games on his phone. My husband at times can be addicted to online games and plays them while watching TV. Sometimes my husband picks up his phone and plays a couple of rounds of his current favorite game before he has to work on a work project. 

The benefits of playing online games

 For my husband, it seems that playing online games is his way of chilling after a long day of work. For my boys, they play games on their computer simply because they are bored. I myself don't play online games as I don't have the time but that is not to say that I don't enjoy video games. When I do have a chance to play a game online, I enjoy playing the games. I think my favorite online games to play are the matching online games.

 So, since I was concerned about my boys playing too many hours of games that can be found online, I decided to do some research to see if there were benefits to playing online games. That made me think about playing card games when I was a kid. I remember playing solitaire with a deck of cards and how I would not stop playing until I won the card game. I think playing solitaire helped me develop my mindset of perseverance and not giving up. The game of solitaire also helped my brain think as I had to solve my next move to win the card game. I do know that I enjoyed playing solitaire as a kid.

Rediscovering the joys of solitaire

 So I began to realize that my boys playing games online was similar to playing with a deck of cards. So I decided to rediscover my joy of playing solitaire on my computer instead of using a deck of cards. I searched online for free online solitaire games and found an online game website that had the card game solitaire and so much more.

What stood out about this website was they offered the classic solitaire card video game. It had been a while since I played solitaire with a deck of cards so I decided to start with the classic game of solitaire that I played as a kid. 

 I liked how easy it was to start playing solitaire on the website and that I did not have to download anything. Just like riding a bike, I quickly remembered how to play solitaire. I played a couple rounds of solitaire and I quickly realized that it was a challenging game. I had to think to win the game. So this online card game was good for my mind.

New variations of solitaire

While I was playing with the online deck of cards, I glanced at the top of the website and saw some names of different online games like Mahjong, Spider, and FreeCell. So my curiosity got the best of me and since I was having fun playing games online, I decided to check them out. 

 I quickly realized that all the other games were different variations of the classic game of solitaire, all except one. If you've played traditional Classic Solitaire, and looking to play one of the fun variations, you might want to take a look at Mahjong Solitaire. Mahjong Solitaire differs from Classic Solitaire in that Mahjong Solitaire uses a set of Mahjong tiles rather than cards. I liked that I could choose between several different tile themes. I selected the Circus tiles.

Detailed instructions

 I like that all the games, including Mahjong, included instructions on how to play the game. Once I started playing the game, I enjoyed the challenge of matching up the 144 colorful tiles. I also quickly realized that this was no ordinary matching game. The tiles of the game were in a grid and some were stacked on each other. Then there were the rules of how similar tiles could be paired together and that made for a mind-challenging game.

The rules of Mahjong Solitaire are:

  • The game is played with 144 tiles. These are all laid out before the start of play. 
  • The aim is to match patterns into pairs and remove them from play. 
  • You can't remove a tile that is beneath another tile. 
  • You can't move a tile if it is locked. A tile is locked if there is another tile right next to it on both sides. 
  • The game is lost if no more moves are possible. Hint: hit the redo to retrace your steps! 
  • The game is won when all tiles are removed from play. 

So much fun and addicting

 Once I played one round of Mahjong, I quickly understood how to play the game of Mahjong Solitaire. Sure it did take me a while to match up all the tiles, but I had fun. I was determined to better the time that it took to match all the tiles. I was hooked on this game and before I knew it, an hour had passed.

When I started playing the tile-matching game, I was feeling somewhat stressed and was trying to write an article about running injuries. My brain was not working. Once I finished playing the online game, I felt relaxed and I was ready to write my article. I started my writing and was having no problems with thinking. I got all my thoughts out for the article.

 It was then that I realize why my husband plays online games before starting a work project. I discovered that playing a couple games of online solitaire got my brain into thinking more. My mind felt sharper after being challenged by the game of Mahjong. I added this online game website to my favorites tab and will be playing the game of solitaire more often

Solitaire.org has more than the game of solitaire

If you are looking for a website that has a huge variety of other collections of online games, then you need to check out Solitaire.org. This website has other card games like gin rummy and crazy eights. They also have the popular hidden object games, other matching games, and so much more. I am glad that my cell phone provider gives me free internet while traveling by plane. I am traveling to Philly next week and I will have plenty of time to play some other fun games during my almost 7 hours of travel time. 

Check out all the fun games HERE

What is your favorite online game to play?



8 comments:

melissa said...

My son has gone through his gaming phase and I do not play games on line. These solitaire games do look like fun and I do like playing cards in my downtime

Ben said...

I'm a firm believer in gaming of all types for a healthy brain. Strategy games, RPGs, RTS games, puzzles games, match three - they all stimulate different parts of the mind. PLUS, they're just plain fun.

Sarah Bailey said...

It is amazing how games can help stimulate the mind, I have to admit I do love a game of solitaire at times.

Richelle Escat said...

I love playing games online. But I'm not good with cards. I prefer simulation games or word games.

Louisa said...

I enjoy paying solitaire so much. And it indeed keeps your mind sharp and alert

Lynndee said...

I do have a favorite online game that I play regularly. I used to play solitaire, too. I will have to play that again. -LYNNDEE

Ivan Jose said...

Yes, online games could be great brain exercises. I don't know how to play solitaire though.

Ana De-Jesus said...

I love playing games, and it is actually me and my partner's favourite thing to do together. Online games were a much needed distraction during lockdown!

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