Mahjong was developed in China in the 19th Century. The four-player tile game became popular as a form of gambling as well as for social gaming purposes. Such was its popularity that it spread across the globe.
Variants, such as Mahjong Solitaire, have also become popular, although their gameplay is unrelated to the original game, and it is most commonly played on computers, rather than in person. Mahjong is considered a brain training game and is especially useful in improving memory, concentration, and problem-solving skills, enhancing the mental agility of players.
Mahjong
Mahjong is played with 144 tiles, and the traditional variant of the game is played between four players. It is still commonly played in casinos in parts of Asia, as well as in specialist clubs.
Players can also play Mahjong365 now, enjoying the game online using cryptocurrency to facilitate fast, inexpensive deposits and withdrawals, and enabling games between players from around the world. The solitaire variant of the game is also very popular, and many devices already have it installed.
Improved Memory
Mahjong players need to monitor the Mahjong tiles that are played, as well as those that are discarded. By remembering the played tiles, players can better predict what other players are doing and which tiles are most likely to be available.
Playing Mahjong not only requires good memory but can help improve short-term memory, which is important to business professionals. Good short-term memory enables professionals to process and access information without having to rely on notes and communications from others. It enables them to solve problems more quickly, and this is a vital component in modern business.
Better Concentration
Whether you’re sitting through a 4-hour client meeting or trying to finish up a tight deadline, the ability to concentrate is another essential element of modern business practice.
Better focus means improved productivity, which benefits the individual in achieving their own goals while also being a functioning and useful member of the team. It also benefits the business, making it easier to meet client needs and turn profits. Furthermore, better concentration means fewer mistakes and improved performance, which, again, benefits both the individual and the business as a whole.
Mahjong encourages concentration because it requires players to watch their opponent’s moves while also concentrating on their own. Take your eyes off the table and lose concentration, and it can result in you losing the game.
Enhanced Problem-Solving Skills
Mahjong is heavily reliant on a player’s ability to identify and solve problems. They need to look at and analyze available tiles, predict their opponents’ most likely tiles, and then play tiles that will benefit them the most while also preventing their opponents from benefiting. These moves take a lot of planning and foresight, both of which are important to the problem-solving requirements of modern business.
Business problems can present in different ways. Whether a salesperson is trying to determine how best to sell to a potential client or a systems architect is determining how best to ensure the whole business gets adequate intranet coverage without sacrificing external security, problem-solving is required every day.
Improved Social Skills
Although many people outside Asia initially think of Mahjong Solitaire when they hear the name Mahjong, the traditional game is played by four people. There are three-player and even two-player variants available, but these are less common. Mahjong clubs certainly concentrate on the traditional four-player variant.
While Mahjong is competitive, playing at clubs or with groups of fellow Mahjong players helps build social connections while also improving the social skills of players. The most skilled player will be able to watch their opponents and have at least some idea of what they’re planning and at least how well they believe they’re doing.
Social skills are important to business professionals because they enable individuals to work well with others, both internally, and they can foster improved working relationships with clients, suppliers, and other business stakeholders.
Mental Agility
Agility is the ability to move quickly and easily, and mental agility doesn’t just mean intelligence or knowledge. It refers to the ability to be able to solve problems quickly, come up with solutions, and also to be flexible.
In Mahjong, the game situation can change on the turn of a single tile. Players who lack mental agility can struggle to adapt to this change, ultimately leading to them losing games. Players who possess good mental agility will not only be able to more accurately predict such movements, but they will be able to react quickly to them, enabling the most agile players to be able to benefit from changes, rather than struggle with them.
Stress Relief
Mahjong requires concentration and social skills, and both of these can help eliminate anxiety and reduce stress in everyday life. The game also requires concentration, and while players are concentrating on the tiles, they are paying less attention to their everyday problems and stresses.
Mahjong is like meditation for the mind. And, players who can leave their stress at the Mahjong club door are those who are able to better concentrate on the game and make lean, agile Mahjong decisions.
Business professionals can also benefit from reduced stress. The modern business world is very demanding, with more and more people finding themselves working outside the 9-5 norm. By using games and distractions like Mahjong, it not only helps improve a player’s performance in the game and their anxiety levels in everyday life, but it can also help improve work performance.
Conclusion
Mahjong may not look like a business tool or even an analogy of modern business practices, but it requires many of the same skills as are required in business.
And because players have to master and then execute these skills regularly, it effectively trains them so they can take those skills into everyday life: skills like better concentration, problem solving, and mental agility.