Top 5 Games to Sharpen Your Strategic Thinking & Risk Management

You know, as we get a bit older and more experienced in life and career, sharpening our strategic thinking becomes even more important for navigating both opportunities and challenges. Games have always been a fun way for me to practice flexing those muscles ever since I was a kid, but I’ve found they offer new layers of learning in each phase of adulthood.

Improving your strategic thinking can help your career as well as in many other situations. For example, if you prefer to test your luck from time to time in games like poker or blackjack, this skill will surely help you win more often. You can test your strategies by playing some great titles at Bodog.

Moreover, we will now share some of the best games that will help you improve your ability to create a proper strategy and deal with risks. 

1. Chess

It’s wild how just moving those little pieces on the board can teach you so much about strategizing, seeing ahead, and managing risk. When I’m playing against someone, I really have to consider all their possible responses to anything I do and try to three steps ahead. It helps me look at challenges in my work or personal life in a more calculated, patient way too.

I also like that each chess piece has its own strengths to play to. It reminds me that in real life, we all have different skills to offer. A problem may need the power of a knight in one situation or the spread of a bishop in another. I think it makes me a better teammate to be able to analyze what people’s roles could be.

2. Sid Meier’s Civilization VI

At first, it seems pretty overwhelming considering all the decisions you have to make about research, infrastructure building, diplomacy, military defense, and offense. But once you get flowing with it, it’s so interesting to see how each choice you make impacts the course of history. Do I focus more on science and technology, spiritual philosophy, or pure conquest through military might? All these factors start to interweave in complex ways.

I love how it really pushes me to think long-term about cause and effect. In real life, it’s easy to just focus on getting through your to-do list each day, but this game trains my brain to consider how actions taken now might set things up or cause issues way down the road. It’s practically giving me a crash course in the value of long-term strategizing and making choices with an eye on unforeseen consequences.

3. Risk

When my friends and I gather to play Risk, it’s always a thought-provoking experience. The game requires strategic thinking on many levels. As leaders of fledgling armies, we must carefully consider how to deploy our troops across the map. Do we focus on securing a single continent or spread out more thinly? Offense or defense is another weighty decision – pushing into new territories could bring great rewards but leaves one open as well.

Coordinating military movements with the ebb and flow of dice rolls keeps all engaged. But more than luck, success stems from outmaneuvering one’s rivals through cunning plans. Temporary truces and shows of force also influence relations with other players. It’s fascinating to observe how the global balance recalibrates as we test each other’s resolve and look for strategic advantages.

4. Catan

What makes it interesting is how it challenges you to plan steps right from the get-go. Resources are tight so you gotta manage what you got carefully.

Trading up is also where it gets good. You find yourself getting creative in talks with folks, seeing what kind of deal you can work out so everyone walks away happy. It’s cool to watch how one person’s moves can shift the whole dynamic too. Gives you a glimpse of how little changes have ripple effects.

Before you know it, you’ve got a pretty tight-knit little community going on the board. Working together ends up benefiting all way more than going it alone. Guess that’s a lesson that translates beyond game night.

At the end of the day though, it’s just a fun way to flex your brain with friends. Nobody’s too serious about competing – we’re mainly there to kick back and see what strategies work best.

5. StarCraft

I’ve put a lot of hours into Starcraft over the years with some buddies. We started playing it in college just for something fun to do together between classes and homework. Even back then I remember being impressed by how much was going on at once as you commanded your bases and troops.

It was tricky to get the hang of at first since you have to juggle building your economy while scouting out opponents and planning assaults. A lot of losses happened as we learned the different race units and abilities. But managing all those little aspects in real-time was a rush, especially in intense multiplayer matches.

We’d sit around after games just shooting the breeze about strategies people were trying. Everyone had their own styles too depending on which race fit their playstyle best. It was cool sharing advice on openers and unit comps that worked at different points in the match.

Really it just became a solid way for our group to unwind a few nights a week. The skills you pick up like multi-tasking and adapting on the fly have definitely come in handy.

And there are some other titles with similar philosophy, where you can also learn a lot about how strategy is important. My favorites are Command & Conquer, Warcraft 3, and Diablo. 

Last Words

As you can see, games are not only for entertainment as they can help you improve certain gaming skills. It’s good to know this thing as that can make us even more interested in spending some quality time while competing with our friends. 

And the fact that there are different types and genres makes it easier for people to easily choose their favorite.