A new clinical study from Asmodee and Game In Lab has revealed that board games could potentially help Alzheimer's patients by regularly providing them with mental stimulation.
Board Games For Alzheimer's Patients
Asmodee's new study reveals that board games can have some genuine beneficial effects for Alzheimer's patients in a number of ways. Firstly, board games provide mental stimulation if played regularly, potentially helping to stem the tide of damage done to the brain of an Alzheimer's patient. Secondly, any tabletop games that fit with a patient's interests can improve that patient's quality of life compared with not playing.
The study also found that board games that are adapted for use by Alzheimer's patients, by including things such as large font, are even more effective than regular games can be.
Further Studies To Come
The research into board games benefiting Alzheimer's patients was done by Asmodee Research and Game In Lab and has been going on for over a year. The study is part of a new initiative for Asmodee Research to determine the beneficial effects that board games can have on society. Game In Lab is a first-of-its-kind research group created by Asmodee Research in partnership with Innovation Factory to study these positive benefits in great detail
After the success of the first study, Game In Lab is putting out a call for more studies to be done. The call asks for international research organizations to make a grant application for further study into the benefit of board games for people in the real world. Currently, three-to-five grants are available, with two different tracks. The first track is for any general study into the benefit of board games, while the second track will focus on studies related to youth and education.
What do you think of the results of this study? What other positive benefits do you think board games can have on society? Let us know in the comments down below.
