Games that inspire Creativity
Today we're diving into the world of games that not only entertain but also inspire creativity. Whether you are a seasoned gamer or just looking for a new way to spark your imagination, I've got you covered. Let's explore some fantastic games that stimulate your creativity in unique ways. Instead of just listing a bunch of games that might not be available in your region, I will share game categories with some examples so that you understand what to look for when buying a game to inspire creativity.
Make sure to check out the bonus content in the video. It is totally unrelated to creativity, it's just a really cool way to shuffle your cards that might impress or dare I say, intimidate your opponent! Honestly, it's doesn't look just cool, it's also fun to do, so you'll have a fun party trick to show your friends at the next game night!
Game Category #1: Drawing Games
First off, we have drawing. These are perfect for unleashing your artistic side. Games like Pictionary, Guess a Sketch or any kind that forces you to draw. It challenges players to translate words into drawings creating hilarious and sometimes unpredictable results.
My favorite part is watching the interpretation process of others in real time and how they sort of dissect a word or concept into a drawing. It can be so far from your own way of looking at a word which in turn expands your own creativity.
What You'll Learn
What you learn in these types of games all about interpreting and express an idea through doodles. Drawing games not only improve your artistic skills because you're drawing, but also encourage quick thinking and communication. This will strengthen your ability to convey thoughts and emotions from your imagination.
For example, in these games, usually you have a limited time, so you need to choose the most iconic characteristics of the word that you have to doodle. Think about a drawing of a cat versus a dog. The face will be mostly the same, but for a cat you will choose pointy ears, however, or a dog you might have to droopy ears and possibly a tongue hanging out. Notice the difference?!
This is a huge, huge part of communicating concepts through drawing.
Game Category #2: Guessing Games with Words
Now let's talk about guessing games with the words, like Taboo or the 5 Second Rule. They are some of my absolute favorites. They are all about creative thinking and word association within a time limit.
For taboo, players are given a word that they have to then describe without using the words that are taboo, that are not allowed. For example, the word Wednesday, but you're not allowed to describe that with the words day, calendar or date. How would you describe that? I personally would immediately go to The Addams and say something like the daughter of the Addams Family or Dark character played by Jenna Ortega. It forces you to completely think outside the box.
Growing up, I played Taboo to death when I was living in Germany. Germans love their board games and game nights and things like that. I think not being a German native speaker back then was a huge advantage. German has a lot of compound word, which means words are mashed together and turn into a new meaning.
I saw words as clearly two separate words, but my German friends saw the entire word entire new meaning. I believe this gave me more creative ways to express a word because I had multiple words in my mind. For example, the word "Handschuh" means glove in German. My friend thought about a glove, but for me it was the "Hand" (German for hand) plus "Schuh" (German for shoe), so I could draw a hand and a shoe and put them together. My friends would focus on the word glove.
In games like 5-Second Rule, you're given a prompt like name three breeds of dogs. This sounds easy when you only have 5 seconds to do so, you panic. Test yourself right now with a 5 second timer. When you are ready name 3 Christmas decorations! Did you get it?
These kinds of games, they force you to dig into parts of your memory that you haven't accessed in a while. This stimulates the recalling process of your brain, which in turn sparks your imagination.
What You'll Learn
You'll be forced to use your memory and use your associations skills. Your ability to remember is closely linked to your ability to imagine and think divergently. Thinking divergently means to solve problems creatively and fast. In other words, these games are creativity, forcing you to think outside the box and process information in a more unique way.
Game Category #3: Guessing Games with Acting
Moving on to guessing games, this time with acting. Charades is a timeless favorite. Usually players have to act on out movies, phrases, etc. without speaking. These games force you to express a concept, but you also have to do this with your body language. They are similar from the process with guessing games with words, but with the additional factor of acting.
This challenge players to use their social skills body plus you're being in front of an audience using their gestures and expressions.
What You'll Learn
In addition to sparking creativity, these kinds of games also help you build your confidence and your social skills. As creative minds we often struggle with self-doubt, so these are fundamental skills not only as a creator, but in all aspects of your life.
Game Category #4: Detective Games
Now let's turn our attention to detective. Usually these detective games are an immersive experience where players become detectives, solving cases, piecing together clues and solving puzzles. It's not just about logic, it's also about thinking creatively to crack the case and attention to detail. What I'm particularly fond of is that some of these games try to mimic real life. For example, there's a game called Hidden Games CSI where you get a folder of a case with the same information that a detective would get. You have random phone numbers that you can ring up and then get some sort of clue for the case.
What You'll Learn
These games force you to pay a lot of attention to detail and connect the dots between pieces of information to come to a conclusion. These are fantastic for problem solving and also building your observation skills, which I believe to be one of the most important skills to have as a creator.
You might have seen my Creative Character Designs videos where I use everyday objects to design a character. This is only possible because I'm constantly paying attention to my surroundings until I see something that sparks my interest. You can usually discover unusual or interesting shapes, colors, textures, etc. around you, which you eat your imagination.
Game Category #5: Cooperative Story-Based Games
The next category is cooperative story based games. For example, like Kosmos adventure games. These create an interactive and dynamic space where players contribute to the narrative, such as the story solving problems and exploring imaginative worlds. Unexpected twists and turns can occur, inspiring players to adapt and contribute to evolving stories in creative ways. The exploration part of these games can stimulate curiosity and your imagination.
What makes these games special is the collaborative aspect of communication and teamwork skills will be crucial to succeeding in the game. You cannot win alone.
Another game that is meant to be played online by two people is Tick Tock, A tale for two and similar games. It is about solving what happened in a small town with striking ability to set each person to seeing something different on their screens, meaning they're seeing different views themselves.
Each of those clues are not enough to solve the puzzle, so you have to really be attentive. You cannot make any assumptions and you have to communicate very clearly. So that you can solve the puzzle together. I played this with my brother not too long ago and it was so much fun. So I highly recommend it.
The big disadvantage of these kinds of games, however, is that you can usually only play them once or a limited amount of times because once the story is unfolded, you already know the answers.
What You'll Learn
From a creative perspective, these kinds of games help you boost your curiosity, storytelling abilities and become better at teamwork. This is a fundamental skill to have, if you ever want to do a project with another creator.
Similar to previous games we've discussed, these games also encourage divergent thinking and problem solving and improve your confidence as usually you are a character in these games
And there you have it, games are more than just entertainment, they're a gateway to creativity, imagination and laughter. Whether you are drawing, describing, pantomiming, playing detective, or collaborating, these games can bring people together and can inspire us to think outside the box.
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