The psychology of games
One of the few things I love to do to pass the time is play a couple of free online games. I find that playing simple games can also be a great way to refresh my mind between tasks.
As you get immersed in a game, you’re focused on a particular task. It might be shooting the enemy or aiming for the jackpot, but you’ve got to take action (click a button), and hope for the best result. Our minds become focused on this longed-for result – we rise up to the challenge, even though in some cases it’s all down to luck anyway! In this way, playing games is a way of bringing us back into the present moment, of stopping our minds from ruminating too much about yesterday’s troubles or our uncertain future.
As kids, we enter into this mindful phase quite often, as we play with our friends or learn something new – it’s as if we’re in a bubble, fully immersed in the moment. As adults, it gets increasingly difficult to shut off your mind chatter, and I find that games, especially simple games with some nice visuals, help me to do just that.
How long has it been since you played a game? Maybe it’s time you gave it a go. You can find thousands of free online games at sites such as Maria casino, and you can also play these games for real money if you wish (in which case just keep an eye on your spending!).