3 Lessons Learned from the Board Game Risk
Everyday there are opportunities to learn. These opportunities might active- read a book, research a problem, watch a documentary, study a foreign language. Learning experiences might be passive as well; in other words something unexpected produces a valuable lesson. I’ve been reflecting on the Game of Risk recently and 3 things it has passively taught me.
First, a brief history of Risk an overview on how to play from Wikipedia:
Risk is a commercial strategic board game, produced by Parker Brothers (now a division of Hasbro). It was invented in the early 1950s by French movie director Albert Lamorisse. It was originally released in 1957, as La Conquête du Monde (The Conquest of the World), in France.
How to Play
Risk is a turn-based game for two to six players, and is played on a board depicting a stylized Napoleonic-era political map of the Earth, divided into forty-two territories, which are grouped into six continents. Players control armies, with which they attempt to capture territories from other players. The goal of the game is to control all the territories—or “conquer the world”—through the elimination of the other players. Using area movement, Risk ignores realistic limitations, such as the vast size of the world, and the logistics of long campaigns. Compared to other military board games, Risk is relatively simple and abstract.
3 Life Lessons the game has taught me:
1) If I don’t take any chances or worry about what other people think, I’m not going to acquire or learn any thing significant. In the game of Risk, significance means countries, continents and cards. Similarly, if I do not take chances in Life, I will not experience things that make me a better, stronger, more well rounded person.
2) If I stretch myself too thin across many borders, it’s nearly impossible to defend and I will most likely loose the game. In Life, I’ve learned focusing on too many things usually leads to all things suffering. I try focus and excel at a few things at time in business and personal life.
3) There are things in the game that you cannot control, which dramatically affect the outcome. These things include: the cards you’re dealt, the role of the die and being caught in the middle of a battle between 2 other players. The parallel to Life is obvious- there are many things outside of my control and I must try to let go of these things. Although, I must admit… it’s difficult.
There are tens of thousands ways to learn today. These learning activities might active or passive. By paying attention to passive opportunities: you might just pick up some valuable lessons - even from a board game.
In case you are interested in some active learning, here are links to Risk Game and great products for learning a foreign language:
Learn a Foreign Language - Rosetta Stone
