Blog summary:
The main areas that board games can increase your knowledge are:
- General Knowledge (Trivial Pursuit)
- Biology (Wingspan)
- History (Timeline, 7 Wonders)
- Geography (Ticket to Ride)
Who said learning has to involve sitting in a classroom with a textbook open in front of you? Board games can be a surprisingly good way to pick up new facts, discover history, and even improve your geography knowledge, all while trying to absolutely cook your mates around the table!
Some games are specifically built around trivia, while others sneak plenty of real-world information into their themes. Here are some of the best board games for expanding your knowledge without making it feel like revision!
Trivial Pursuit
Let's start with the heavyweight! Trivial Pursuit has been testing people's general knowledge for decades, covering everything from history and geography to science, sport, entertainment and culture. The beauty of it is that you don't need to be a walking encyclopaedia to enjoy it. Every game has the potential to teach you something you didn't know before. Just try not to get humbled by the eight-year-old who somehow knows every capital city in Europe.
Wingspan
You might not expect a game about birds to turn you into a part-time ornithologist, but Wingspan does exactly that! Players attract birds to their wildlife habitats, with cards featuring real species and information about them. As you play, you'll encounter birds from across North America, Europe and Oceania, learning about their habitats, diets and behaviours along the way. It's a great example of a game where the knowledge comes naturally because the information is part of the gameplay.
Timeline
Fancy finding out whether the invention of the telephone happened before or after the first hot-air balloon flight? Timeline challenges players to put historical events, inventions, and discoveries in the correct order. You don't necessarily need to know the answers beforehand either. The more you play, the more familiar you become with the events and their place in history. It's basically a history lesson with considerably less paperwork!
Ticket to Ride
Time to brush up on your geography! Ticket to Ride sees players building railway routes between cities, making it a brilliant way to become more familiar with locations across the map. While you're busy completing your tickets and blocking your opponents, you'll also start remembering where different cities are located. You may even discover a few places you've never heard of before.
7 Wonders
History buffs, this one's for you! In 7 Wonders, players develop ancient civilisations and construct famous wonders of the world. The game introduces historical locations, leaders, and developments while giving you plenty of strategic decisions to make. It isn't designed as a history textbook, but it can certainly encourage players to dig deeper into the civilisations represented in the game.
Learn while you play!
The best knowledge-based board games don't feel like studying. They give you interesting information while you're already having fun.
Whether you're learning bird facts with Wingspan, testing your general knowledge with Trivial Pursuit, or discovering historical events with Timeline, your next game night could leave you knowing considerably more than when you sat down. Just don't start using your newfound knowledge to become unbearably smug. Nobody likes that guy!
