Learning is often most effective during activities that require focus, yet are also incredibly fun.
Games are often criticized for being unproductive time-wasters. In reality, many board games, even video games, can be used to teach any essential skill imaginable.
If you want to introduce a PWD to fun, new activities, you might be surprised by the sheer options available. Countless games don’t need to be modified at all for a PWD to enjoy and benefit from.
Here are some games you can consider playing with PWDs that will spell great fun for everyone involved:
Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
Available across virtually all modern gaming consoles, including PC, this fun platform-based battle royale is completely free to download and play.
There are dozens of obstacle courses available, with the objective being to complete it the fastest, or survive the longest.
Many of the obstacle courses train your hand-eye coordination, your memory and your spatial awareness. There are even several team games that encourage social interaction and group strategizing.
With a cutesy style, happy-go-lucky music and an incredibly simple yet addictive gameplay, this is the perfect party game you can teach anyone in just under 5 minutes.
Among Us
Among Us is an online social deduction game that is available across most contemporary gaming platforms, including smartphones.
The premise is simple – you and your fellow gamers are stranded in space, and need to complete a series of group tasks to prep your spaceship and escape.
The catch? At least one of you is a traitor focused on eliminating most of the other players before they complete their tasks.
The players can also call for mandatory meetings, in which everyone gets to discuss any suspicious activity and question whoever they think may be potentially responsible for it.
Such a meeting could end with one player being kicked into the vacuum of space, who may or may not have been a traitor.
The social politics and interaction involved make this a fantastic ice breaker and topic for future conversation.
It also helps condition players to recognise and remember patterns of activity, as well as getting them more familiar with social cues or general communication skills.
Ring Fit Adventure
Some people might think that games encourage lazing around, but the developers behind Ring Fit Adventure would likely beg to differ.
An exercising adventure game for the Nintendo Switch, Ring Fit Adventure comes packaged with a durable, elastic ring that you can attach your game controller to.
This game mixes both in-game combat and other adventure gaming elements with exercises like squats and lunges.
In other words, you can track your physical activity, burn those calories, tone your muscles and play a fantasy adventure, all at the same time.
You don’t need any extra equipment to play besides the pre-packaged elastic ring, and there are plenty of game options regardless of one’s physical ability. This makes it a perfect option for staying active without having to leave the house.
Dungeons & Dragons
A tabletop role-playing game, or TTRPG for short, Dungeons & Dragons is enjoyed by very heavily leaning on the power of imagination.
While there are technically no limits to the amount of players that can participate in a game, it’s arguably best played with 4 to 7 people. One of the players will take on the role of Dungeon Master, a moderator of sorts that plans and runs the game. The other players will assume a fictional character in the Dungeon Master’s story.
There are rules and dice involved, but ultimately the setting of the game is dictated by the Dungeon Master, and the choices that propel the story is left entirely up to the players.
While learning the rules can be tedious, this game is a fantastic way to socialize, partially because it encourages playing off each other’s ideas and creativity to solve in-game problems.
Minecraft
Minecraft is a virtual sandbox game available on most gaming consoles. This game is essentially virtual LEGOs. You collect resources then stack literal building blocks to make pretty much anything you can imagine.
Due to this, Minecraft naturally tests and improves upon a player’s creativity. It can also be played online, meaning that you could form groups to create or destroy things together.
If you’re looking for a game that’s all about realizing your imagination, while also encouraging team effort, look no further than Minecraft.
References
Paige Flamm (2022) 10 Board Games for Adults with Disabilities [Accessed 14 February 2023] Available at: https://blog.giv.care/board-games-for-adults-with-intellectual-disabilities/
Brittany Rodgers (2020) Top 5 Video Games for People with Intellectual Disabilities [Accessed 14 February 2023] Available at: https://www.baddour.org/blog/posts/top-5-video-games-for-people-with-intellectual-disabilities
Caroline Knorr (2021) 5 Ways Video Games Can Help Kids with Disabilities [Accessed 14 February 2023] Available at: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/articles/5-ways-video-games-can-help-kids-with-disabilities