New research links high complexity gaming to social wellbeing

Just in time for the Easter break, new data has emerged attempting to rank the most mentally taxing board games currently occupying the hobbyist zeitgeist. While the traditional benchmark for intellectual rigour has long been Chess, a new analysis suggests that modern “Euro-games” and complex strategy titles are increasingly seen as the ultimate “brain-burners” for a new generation of players.

The data, released by Graham Scutt, Director of the Welsh hobby retailer Loaded Dice, leverages “weight” ratings from BoardGameGeek to suggest that titles such as Age of Innovation and Coffee Traders possess a higher cognitive barrier than the 1,500-year-old game of kings. However, an investigation into the methodology reveals that this list is not a raw data dump of the world’s most difficult games, but rather a curated selection of titles already popularised by mainstream newspapers, subsequently ranked by their hobbyist complexity.

The Complexity Conundrum

At the top of the list sits Age of Innovation, designed by Helge Ostertag. With a complexity rating of 4.27 out of 5, it significantly outpaces Chess (3.65). Yet, the inclusion of Go at rank three highlights a fundamental friction in how we define “hard.” While Helge Ostertag’s design is a “high-fidelity” simulation with dozens of moving parts and resource tracks, Go is famously rules-light but strategically infinite.

Graham Scutt, Director at Loaded Dice, said in a statement:

Experts note that this level of difficulty can be part of the appeal. Challenging games are frequently described by players as “brain-burning”, mentally exhausting, and deeply rewarding – offering a form of social interaction that goes beyond passive entertainment.

Graham Scutt, an RAF veteran who has previously spoken about the role of tabletop gaming in veteran mental health, is now attempting to bridge the gap between high-complexity mechanics and clinical wellbeing.

The Plymouth Intervention

The timing of the rankings coincides with significant academic interest from the University of Plymouth. Researchers Dr Gray Atherton and Dr Liam Cross have published findings suggesting that board games can improve confidence and assertiveness. This research is moving beyond the ivory tower; the pair are scheduled to host a national workshop at The Amelia Scott in Royal Tunbridge Wells later this year to explore how these tools can be used in health and social care interventions.

You can see the two doctors discuss their full findings in this Game in the Lab video if you can’t get to Royal Tunbridge Wells.

However, a critical gap exists between the “hardest games” list and the therapeutic research. While Drs Atherton and Cross often cite roleplaying games and social deduction titles like Dixit for their social benefits, the Loaded Dice list focuses on “opaque” economic simulations. Whether the “brain-burning” exhaustion of Coffee Traders provides the same therapeutic “social engagement” as a collaborative narrative remains a point of contention for those in the field.

Curated Recognition

What caught Geek Native’s eye and inspired a comprehensive search of the BoardGameGeek database was the list of games researched. BoardGameGeek huge list certainly contains thousands of games with higher “weight” ratings than Chess. The Loaded Dice approach made sense; they began by first identifying games mentioned in mainstream “best of” newspaper articles and then cross-referencing their difficulty. These are games that we probably have.

This explains the presence of Axis and Allies at number ten. With a rating of 3.04, it is technically “easier” than Chess, yet it remains a staple of mainstream recognition. The result is a list that reflects what the public perceives as complex, rather than a definitive ranking of the most difficult board games ever designed. For those looking to truly test their limits this Easter, the “newspaper-approved” list is merely the starting line.

Photo by Randy Fath on Unsplash.

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