Mental Health and Board Games – A Gentle Rain – Giveaway!

With May being Mental Health Awareness Month, I’m partnering with Incredible Dream to give away a copy of A Gentle Rain: Bloom Edition to one lucky reader / viewer here on GamesReviews.com and over on Instagram (instagram.com/noshelfspacecanada). But before you get all the details, let’s talk about the benefits of board games and mental health.

Although I wish that playing and reviewing board games was my full time job, it’s not. I work in a fairly fast paced environment that can be stressful. Add on a few kids at home between the ages of 6 and 15, and you can imagine that there are days where I sit down and feel completely drained. My escape from the ins and outs of daily life use to be video games, but as I’ve gotten older, I have found a much better way to relax – board games.

For some, board games are too stimulating, too competitive, or too thinky to be considered relaxing. The game we are giving away, A Gentle Rain, is a super relaxing, solo board game that isn’t too difficult, isn’t too long, but gives you a very zen experience. While I don’t own this game myself – a review copy is on route! – I have had the privilege of playing it in the past. It’s pretty basic, but it’s immensely relaxing and satisfying.

I’m probably the opposite of most board game players – I find almost every board game I play incredibly relaxing and enjoyable. It’s a great way to escape from the day-to-day and explore something new. It might be planting tulips in a game like Windmill Valley, or perhaps building out a bustling town in Mythwind, or even creating my own civilization dynasty in 7 Wonders. Escaping to something that isn’t the present reality is great – it’s why video games are so popular. I just find board games so much more relaxing.

Not every board game is going to instill a feeling of calmness, especially if you consider yourself a competitive individual. But something like A Gentle Rain cannot be anything but zen. Where what happens, happens. Where the points, in reality, don’t matter. Where the purpose of the experience is to calm the mind and slow the brain. Where you can’t help but be transferred somewhere else from the comfort of your own home.

Check out all the great games from Incredible Dream by visiting their website!

I’ve only experienced it briefly, but I can confirm A Gentle Rain does it for me. It might do it for you, and it might not – but it’s a great place to start. Why not see if A Gentle Rain – Bloom Edition might be for you? To enter our giveaway, sponsored by Incredible Dream, just do the following:

• Send an email to adam.roffel@gamesreviews.com, using the subject line: Mental Health Awareness Month Contest. In your email, please provide (for shipping your prize) your complete name, mailing address, and telephone number.

• (Optional) Feel free to share with us something that allows you to disconnect from the hectic day-to-day! It can be a board game, video game, or perhaps a hobby! Let us know if we can share your story (anonymously)!

Please note, this contest is limited to residents of the UK, United States and Canada.