When you think about how far gaming has come since the old days of Space Invaders and Pong, you’ll immediately see that there are many – perhaps hundreds – of different types of games people can choose to play (including those retro ones we mentioned). Then, when you delve into each different gaming type or genre, you’ll see there are hundreds of thousands and probably millions of individual games to choose from. If there’s one thing gaming gives people, it’s a lot of choice.

Of course, too much choice can be as bad as not enough, and that could be why you stick with just one genre of game once you’ve found one you like.

However, the reality is that although you might find that to be the best option, playing different genres from time to time actually makes a lot of sense, and there are a number of reasons why it’s worth doing. Read on to find out what they are so you can try something new as soon as possible.

Photo by Antoni Shkraba

Broaden Your Horizons

One of the most obvious benefits of trying different gaming genres is that you’ll get the opportunity to broaden your horizons and get out of your comfort zone. Just like in other situations in life, that comfort zone will be somewhere you like to be, but stepping outside every now and then and trying something new can give you a different view, and it might be that you find you like other things you never would have thought of trying before.

If you’re a fan of first-person shooters, for example, trying a puzzle game like a word search might not be the first thing that comes to mind, but that’s exactly the point – if it’s not something you’d normally do, then trying it will give you a whole new experience, and it might even be that the skills you learn in the new genres can be used to make your gameplay in the old one better.

Better Problem Solving

No matter what form your gaming might take, you’re going to need to problem-solve; it’s part of the overall gaming experience, and it’s something that you’ll need to do in every game and every genre. However, each genre will need you to problem-solve in a different way, so when you try a variety of different types of games, you’ll come across different types of challenges, and as a result, it’s highly likely that your problem-solving skills will get better.

When you get to do all kinds of different challenges in genres like first-person shooters, strategy, hidden object games, and so on, you’ll not only get better a getting past these problems, but you’ll get quicker too, which will enhance your gaming experience and mean you get much less frustrated with the game you’re playing; you’ll enjoy it a lot more because it will be more about the story and less about getting stuck trying to solve a puzzle.

Better Reflexes And Coordination

Every gaming genre needs a different kind of skill, and some need good reflexes (like a shooting game), while others need good coordination (like a dancing game). But what if you need both? The truth is that although you might only think you need to have good reflexes or excellent coordination, but when you really think about it, you’ll probably find that you need both of these skills combined – certainly, in the two genre examples we gave, that’s the case.

Switching between various genres rather than sticking to just one can help you improve all these different aspects of your gaming skills, meaning that no matter what genre you keep going back to (because there’s sure to be one that stands out above the rest, no matter how many you try), you’ll be as versatile as possible, and able to do whatever is needed to progress through the game, using your excellent new reflexes and coordination to help you.

Social Opportunities

Gaming is something you can do by yourself, of course, but it doesn’t have to be, and if you try different genres, you might come across like-minded people who you can spend time with (you can game with them, but you might do other things too and form a long-lasting friendship).

Different genres will give you different opportunities to be social, so it’s well worth trying a few of them to see which ones you like best. You might even have different friendship groups for each genre, making gaming even more fun and opening up your life to many new and positive opportunities.

Avoid Burnout

It’s so easy to start to feel burned out when you’re playing the same game – or genre – all the time. You might even start to get bored and stop gaming altogether (or even cut down), which would be a shame if it’s something you enjoy a lot and that gives you a lot of pleasure. Trying different genres gives you the chance to break up your routine, and that means your gaming time can always be fresh and exciting – you’re far less likely to fall out of love with it.

So if you’ve been grinding away at a puzzle game, switching over to a different genre, like a driving game, for example, can give you the stimulation you need to keep feeling good and not get too bored. In fact, this kind of variety can spark your passion back up and also stop you from feeling too tired, so it means you can keep gaming for longer.

Discover Hidden Talents

When you play different genres, you might be surprised to find you actually have some hidden (or not so hidden anymore) talents, and you’re actually skilled at this new type of game you’ve chosen to play. In other words, exploring new genres can uncover hidden talents and interests that you didn’t know you had.

This kind of self-discovery can make gaming so much more exciting, but it can also lead to you building more skills and interests that aren’t linked to gaming because you’ve realized you like something in particular in a game that you can carry on in ‘the real world’.