I often say that before a couple gets married, or heck, before a couple even starts living together they should extensively play board games to ensure that their relationship is solid enough to “progress” to that next level. That’s because playing an in-depth board game with your person is kind of like couples’ boot camp. I mentioned it in the last blog post, but board games really bring out the worst in people.

We all have our little habits drive our partner insane. It could be the way they sound when they chew their food, or it could be them leaving their dish in the sink when the dishwasher is clearly empty, or it could be the way they rub their victory in your face when they win Qwirkle (I’m not speaking of personal experience here at all . . .) But through all that board games show you the sides of your partner that you wouldn’t normally get to see until later. Yes, as I mentioned in the last blog post, with board games you really get to know your partner intimately and quickly.

Competitiveness in Games

Are you and your partner competitive? If so, you’ll get to know each other fairly quickly while playing a board game. Why is this? Because as much as we hate to admit it humans love getting instant gratification, and I believe that instant gratification becomes intensified when we win against somebody who we are familiar with. Regardless how high any of us think our ideals are, we live in a society where getting ahead monetarily is rewarded. We do this with our partner regardless if the only award is “bragging rights.’ This doesn’t always mean that success has to come in a 100 percent clean and honest fashion. I’ve seen dozens of people cheat at board games. We don’t do it as a couple, but it still happens that we accuse each other of it regardless. What this boils down too, is that human nature is hard to avoid.

Games Let You Work on Your Emotional Problems

Before I got married to my now husband, Beau, we played board games all the time. What I realized through this process is that he was more focused on his friends and family than my questions during group gameplay. He would often interrupt me, and in turn, this would trigger me. I often felt as a child that nobody would pay attention to me, and when my boyfriend was doing the exact same thing it really would bring out the, “I’m leaving the table and not playing anymore” attitude. This is a very childish attitude I know, but when I get triggered sometimes I can’t help it.

After experiencing these interactions time and time again I have been forced to accept the fact that in big group settings nobody seems to get heard as everyone is shouting over each other. I had to do some internal reflecting to learn to move past my anger when these types of situations arose (to this day I’m still working on changing my mentality, it doesn’t happen overnight). There are still times when I want to leave the table because I feel nobody is listening to me. I’m sure there are experiences at the gaming table that trigger certain emotions in you too. I implore everyone to look back at their past games and think of what that one interaction was and how you’ve grown from it. If you haven’t grown from it, look back and learn from it now. What can it hurt, right?

Communication

Games help you work on communication skills. If you teach a game to your partner you know how best they learn and vice versa. If you have questions about a game you learn how to ask in a more informed way. That generates better communication across all boards not just the boards in our games. I know board games have taught our little family how to communicate better.

Lightheartedness

Finally, there is a lightheartedness to games too. They bring out the silliness and laughter in a family. I am a firm believer that a couples who laugh together have healther relationships than those who take it too seriously (again, this is just an opinion).

I can’t think back on a time playing board games with my husband–whether it being me walking away from the table enraged or not–that I didn’t enjoy the board game itself. Because for us gamers, it truly is all about the game and the feelings that come with it. Remember that games bring people together and can teach you about the person you’re dating. So stay competitive, keep the lines of communication open, and learn to work on your past emotional history with Board Games. Your relationships will thank you.

Please comment below with your own stories of how board games brought you and your partner together. I appreciate you all reading today’s post.