Why Man Cave Games Are Good For You

There’s no denying that table football, air hockey and a few rounds on the electronic dartboard are ridiculously fun pastimes. But, of course, no man cave is complete without a games table centerpiece, or what are you supposed to get up to when you’re passing the beers around?

At the Man Cave Project, we have some excellent news for you and the guys. All of your table tennis matches, your poker games and your blackjack battles are beneficial way beyond providing entertainment! A competitive night spent with family and friends can be key to staying healthy in general, if you need any excuse to get the guys around.

Here are just a few of the reasons why man cave games are good for you.

Laughter Gives Relief From Stress

You’ve had a long day at work and you’re ready to unwind? Well, some hilarious rounds of beer pong or a jokey tournament on the football table are sure to help you forget your stresses. A few pints and some easy, competitive matches create the perfect environment for a good laugh.

Laughter has both short and long term health benefits! In the short term, bursts of laughter stimulate your lungs, heart, and muscles while activating and relieving your stress response. Circulation is boosted instantly, which helps to aid muscle relaxation and reduce physical symptoms of stress. In the long term, laughter releases neuropeptides that can fight serious illnesses and endorphins in the brain that act as a natural painkiller. 

Not only does competing with the lads for a laugh feel good, but it actually does good too!

Healthy Competition Is Beneficial

There is no rush quite like beating all of your friends with pure skill and talent, and man cave games provide the perfect circumstances for you to flex your competitive muscle. So whether the pool table is your fight venue of choice, or you even choose Mario Kart or Guitar Hero for a more laid back evening, you’ll thrive with some healthy competition.

Any form of competition gives incentive to participants to perform well, while proving a relatively easy method of entertainment. Your man cave games have a new lease of life when your friends’ reputations are on the line, and an engaging competition should bring even your most shy friends out of their shells. Time spent with friends will feel much more rewarding with the thrills of a contest, and you’re less likely to run out of things to talk about!

Learning To Strategise Is Useful

Real life isn’t spent around a black jack table, so you may assume that man cave games are useless outside of your hobbies. But, surprisingly, skills that you develop while playing pool, darts, or craps can come in handy in your day-to-day life.

Snooker and pool particularly can develop your understanding of angles and your spatial awareness. Poker, black jack and craps teach you to strategise, and that can be crucial in business! Even the new confidence you develop with your performance in your games can inspire a bolder, happier attitude at work. No skill is isolated, so as you improve your hand-eye coordination and your reflexes with darts, you’ll reap benefits outside of your man cave too.

Movement Keeps You Active

This point doesn’t quite apply with seated games like poker, but it includes the rounds on your air hockey table. Hours can fly by while you shuffle around your pool table, and you can really feel it in your arms after a few matches of air hockey. Any form of movement is much more beneficial to your health than sitting down and watching TV for hours at a time (though sometimes a movie marathon is entirely necessary).

Table football can give your arms a reasonable workout, while snooker tones your muscles and strengthens body balancing! Darts also require some upper body coordination and action. Exercise in any form releases endorphins, so you’re almost guaranteed to leave your game in a better mood than you started. 

Man cave games are not just mentally, but also physically good for you!

Games Are Cheap To Maintain

Once you’ve made the initial purchase of your table, your board or your console, your man cave games aren’t costly to upkeep. However, occasional accessories like a new card shuffler machine are as expensive as your poker hobby would get, unless your friend group places hefty bets! One thing is for certain, your man cave games and shop-bought booze are still better for your wallet than real trips to the casino or the pubs.

Built to last for years, you won’t have to think about wasting another penny on a single game of air hockey or pool to pass the time! Nor will you have to wait for a poker table to free up in the local casino, or a pool table in the pub, since you’ve got all the entertainment you’d need for yourself. Boasting your own games section in your man cave means more money to spend on drinks and food, since entertainment is taken care of straight away.

They give you a reason to hang out!

Perhaps the biggest perk of playing games in the man cave though is it’s a great excuse to hang out! As your gang grows older life starts to get in the way. Whether it’s starting a young family or a new job with more responsibility, it gets harder to meet up on a whim.

A games night at the man cave is a great way to get everyone on board and keep your bonds strong. A cheaper night makes it more likely everyone will show. Your man cave will have been built around what everyone already likes(hopefully). Plus, it makes it an easier location with a lot of privacy too. So you can get a bit rowdy after finally meeting up again after so long!

Sometimes, just having an excuse to meet up with the boys on a regular basis is all you need. Man Cave games reduce stress, keep you active, improve your ability to strategize, and are cheap to maintain. What’s not to like?!