The trend of online games, especially card games have evolved to be one of the most engaging forms of entertainment. The advancement of technology and the increasing usage of the Internet has made these games enter into the online world, thereby expanding their reach. One such card game, online Rummy is particularly popular as it involves a certain set of skills. It has proven to be one of the many games that help in lowering stress and relaxing the mind.

It won’t be wrong to say, playing games is one of the best forms of mental workout. It helps in improving time management skills of the player to enhance their judgment and analytical skills. The game itself involves various strategic, cognitive and analytical decisions at each step, thereby improving memory and concentration of the player. As per studies, it has been found that people who play card games are a lot less stressed.

The cortisol level could be lowered by almost 17 per cent in people who play such games. Apart from guaranteeing fun and excitement, it also promises a host of health benefits. It not only reduces your stress but also help you be relaxed and happy, if you end up having a bad day. We all know for a fact that there is nothing like the camaraderie developed by a group of friends playing cards. Apart from being good for the soul, it also sharpens the mind.

Challenging card games improve memory, concentration, analytical skills and your overall mental enrichment. Also, the most cognitively difficult card games are those that involve money, strategy and complete attentiveness. It doesn’t matter if you are playing alone or in group. You are always occupied perceiving body language and subtle signals that the other person is subconsciously letting out when they are trying to win the game. This involves a lot many cognitive and interpersonal skills that help in keeping the brain in its best form.

Online games depend heavily on short-term memory skills but also have been proven to improve longterm memory and other cognitive functions as well. Routine, mundane things and boredom often leads to the stagnation of the brain and this is where online games come in. It keeps you fit and fine mentally and psychologically. Even playing games with an electronic opponent is as cognitively challenging as playing game with a human.

Of course, in such a scenario, there is no conversation and social interactivity, but the level of concentration and competition is usually deeper. Though designed for entertainment, the allied benefits playing a good games has, cannot be ignored. Besides promoting cognitive ability and critical thinking, online games also promote communication and team work. This in turn helps people interact better with other people in their day to day life offline and also help introverts to communicate better with other people.

Online gaming also help people develop patience and remain in full control over their emotions. Other common psychological benefits of playing online games include— developing problem solving skills, leadership skills, handling unexpected consequences, intuitive ability and overall alertness. Moreover, people nowadays want entertainment at their time, in their convenience and in their method and online gaming provides just that. It allows one to play games anytime, from anywhere and on any device — on the go. Users can pick games which they like and as per their style and also ensure that they have a good competition against the opponent.

Besides, it comes with a host of rewards and benefits from everyday jackpots, reward point tournaments and festive bonanzas, there is always something to look forward to. Online portals can also be good for beginners as most of these sites and apps have video tutorials and practice games which can help new players sharpen their skills. Other benefits include simple user friendly interfaces, safe and secure platforms which are encryption based, chat based customer support, etc.

(The writer is chief marketing officer, Play Games24x7 Pvt Ltd)