Imagine the heart racing, intense eye-contact-making thrill of hearty competition, sitting around a table stacked with board games. I know you’ve felt that before. I remember a time before video games were all that captured the attention of teenagers and kept friends and families from a lively night of in-person competition.

We all need to play more board games. They are good for your soul and your brain, and the choices are endless. Some board games date back as far as 7000 BCE. Others may have been invented yesterday, and if you wanted, you could probably make one too.

No matter what you like, there’s bound to be a board game for you. Studying economics? Play Monopoly. In medical school? Operation is perfect. Engineering? Mouse Trap is for you. English? Boggle. More of a geography or political science buff? Risk will scratch that itch. Into that interrogative, detective way of life? Codenames or a puzzle may be the right choice for your game night.

There are essentially limitless games to play, and you are bound to find one you enjoy.

It seems like a rarity now that you’ll see a bunch of young people choosing to spend a night with a mile-high pile of board games to play. More and more, I feel that interpersonal skills are placed on the back burner for a night in front of a computer screen. However, there are still a good handful of people from Gen Z that willingly take time away from electronics.

Gen Z is commonly thought to be the generation consumed by technology, spending countless hours on social media. We grew up watching the devices that now essentially serve as additional limbs come into the world.

The society we’ve been born into doesn’t set us up for success nearly as easily as Baby Boomers or Gen X, but I see Gen Z as full of entrepreneurs, geniuses and people wanting to see real change.

To be able to achieve all that we as a generation want to achieve, we should keep our brains stimulated throughout our lives. To keep brains in their peak condition for as long as possible, cognitive stimulation is key.

And, what’s a brilliant way to keep up that stimulation? Board games.

Not only do board games help your brain stay active, but the social aspect of board games can also help with mental health. Laughter has been shown to raise a person’s overall dopamine and serotonin activities, and reduced dopamine and serotonin are linked to depression. Laughing together with friends while playing board games has the potential to boost our overall mental well-being.

Plus, board games are not tethered to a certain location. You can take your game anywhere. To a park, the beach or a backyard. Being out in nature and getting some sunlight and vitamin D also helps with boosting your mood. Besides, when was the last time you stopped and let the sun shine on your face for five minutes?

Whether you just want that time away from screens, or you want to strengthen that brain and improve your mood, pick out a board game and invite a friend over. Maybe gather up family and have a game night. Playing board games is good for you, and I am certain that no matter what, you’ll be glad you played.