How to Help Your Child Develop in Board Games, According to a Game Designer
There are different opinions about how competitive you should be when playing board games with children. At one end of the spectrum are parents who allow their children to win every time, determined to protect their fragile souls from the crushing agony of defeat. On the other hand, there are those who shout “BOO-UA! FACE, BITCH! “As they get ahead of their offspring in Monopoly Junior. Most mums and dads probably fall somewhere in between – they can act easily at first, and then improve their game as their younger opponents get more experienced.
Nick Bentley, game designer and father-to-be, thought a lot about this topic. And he believes that if your goal is to motivate your child and help them learn the game as quickly as possible, you should use a special process rooted in neuroscience. It is based on what is known as a variable ratio plot.
Here are four steps Bentley shares about on his website :
1. The first time you play a particular game, let your child win.
2. Then let the child win a little . 60% of the time is a good place to start (you can taper it down gradually as the child gets better, if you like).
3. Make the sequence of wins and losses as random as possible.
4. It is important to make the result as accurate as possible every time, especially when the child loses. She should always feel that she is almost not lost.
Bentley, a retired neuroscientist, explains the science behind this: When a child receives a reward (ie, winning a game) for only a certain percentage of attempts, and the interval between rewards is unpredictable, this ensures that each reward feels “as rewarding as possible.” and therefore highly addictive, ” he writes . Las Vegas uses variable ratio charts to ensure you always play slot machines – you always feel like you are about to win. They are also used in almost every video game your child is addicted to.
(Note that you can only use the variable ratio scheduling process with games that have a strategic component. Some games for young children, like Candy Land, are completely random.)
Board games are great for kids – they can help improve their logical thinking, teach them to identify patterns, and enable them to practice a good sport. If your kids are having fun playing with you, you probably don’t need anything out of the ordinary. But if they seem disappointed, you can try to adjust your strategy to bring them back to that golden mean, to the place where they keep saying to themselves: “Okay, one more time. I know I can win. “