The evolution of gaming is a very interesting topic, and even the linguistics that we use today is enough to realize this truth. Just consider the fact that decades ago people would talk about games and games only, because that’s how they existed. On the contrary, today, we are discussing not only games but also gaming platforms, subscriptions, and much more. This whole digitization opened up another world for gamers and gaming enthusiasts.

Although these kinds of changes happen all the time, and every industry alters one way or another to grow and stay competitive, changes in gaming are really significant. Digital platforms save no effort and investment to reach out to potential customers, including by being not only entertaining but also helpful and valuable. This is when we talk about the role of gaming in coaching our brains. Just take the example of a world-famous game called Wordle, by The New York Times. Its popularity has increased so dramatically in recent years, that many other publications and news platforms have invested heavily in creating their own Worlde. 

How are modern games shifting from being a source of purely entertainment activities to a means of training our brains, memories, and even vocabularies? Let’s uncover these and other interesting aspects of the topic below.

The game of poker and online platforms

Poker has been long known for its uniqueness as a game. First, it’s very competitive and challenging, and second, it comes with several benefits to the players’ mental flexibility. The strategic nature of poker, requiring decision-making and bluffing, teaches people something, beyond having fun and chasing the win. 

In recent years, the popularity of the game has surged amid the rise of digital platforms and active gaming communities. One big contribution was the advent of online casino websites that almost definitely offer a game of poker, taking advantage of its popularity. In this way, online poker became an in-demand gaming option among players and even beginners who just started to differentiate the cards and rules. 

Poker, along with other card games is known as a fun way of entertainment but it’s also labeled as a game of strategy and mind, which makes many of us learn it, and maybe there is a group of people that doesn’t care about entertainment but accepts the game as a brain coach. Although we usually mention that online gaming platforms help to boost the game among audiences, there can be another valid point that it’s the interest in poker that brings loads of visits to gambling websites. And that interest comes mostly from poker being a game of decision-making and risking.

The obsession with word games

Have you also thought that word games were for school books, helping students stretch their brains and learn new words? Truth be told, this was an idea that had been spinning in my head until the boom of word games on digital platforms came to prove – it’s for everyone.

One of the major publishers, The New York Times, introduced its game, called Wordle, a few years ago, and probably no one would believe back then that it would become a global hit. I have friends who became paid subscribers just because they wanted to play the NYT games, especially the word games. It is fascinating how people can be obsessed with such simple games in the age of tech advancements where different types of realities are mixed in one pot. 

Nothing ends here. After the NYT game’s success, many other platforms adopted this smart feature, trying to attract readers. One such example is the British The Guardian, which created its own type of word game, called Wordiply, and as you can see, they even dedicated a whole new website to the game, which speaks about the significance of such projects in terms of providing entertainment along with some quality brain coaching.

Gamified learning

The demonstration of games’ abilities to go beyond entertainment by digital platforms impacted positively many other industries. Projects like Duolingo are super famous, and the key to their success is the magical power of gamification. Speaking of Duolingo, here are the statistics about the paid subscribers the platform has. Even a quick look at these data is enough to understand the smart business model the company has. 

The constant growth from year to year can be explained by a unique combination of gaming and learning, that Duolingo masterfully implements. Online services, such as TV show streaming, are pure entertainment, hence the unpredictable market they operate in, whereas gamified platforms act not just as entertainers but as brain coaches which brings them more value and loyal customers. 

The smart transformation of entertainment into something more valuable can truly be appreciated, and that’s why streaming giants may produce stunning movies and shows, yet suffer from subscription numbers, and news companies keep their brands contemporary by offering games and puzzles.