If you’re an online gamer or even someone who likes to spend their time looking for ways to waste time online, then you might have noticed in certain circles that there’s one game that’s quickly becoming a lot more widely played: mahjong. Of course, depending on where you grew up and who your family is, then you might have been aware of this growing craze for some time, but for a lot of people, it seems to have popped up out of nowhere. Why is that the case?
What is mahjong?
Although many people think of it as the far Eastern equivalent of chess or the like, the truth is that mahjong shares a little more similarity with poker, but with a greater focus on strategy and less on luck. In the traditional ruleset of riichi mahjong, which is currently the most popular type, each player has a hand comprised of tiles, and they’re trying to collect the right tiles, either by drawing them from the pile, or stealing what tiles other players discard in their own attempt to create their own hands. It’s a seemingly complex game, but once you learn to recognize the tiles, as well as the hands that you’re trying to create and their values, it becomes much simpler.
It flexes your strategic muscles
To some degree, there is a level of strategy involved in most competitive games of chance, such as poker. However, in mahjong, you are constantly making decisions in order to better shift the odds of winning in your direction. It’s not just about having the best hand, it’s about taking turns to work towards specific goals and being aware of other players who might be opting for the same or similar goals, or who might be trying to block you. You can even decide to sacrifice a decisive point-scoring win in order to go for the easier hand to close up a round more quickly. The level of strategizing in the game is one that many players can find addictive.
It’s been proven to sharpen your mind
For a lot of people, when they pick up a hobby, they want to do more than just kill some time, although that certainly is a big part of it. They also want some benefit from the time that they spend. Aside from the highly competitive edge that mahjong allows for, it also does a lot to sharpen’s one mind. In particular, it is known to boost short-term memory, which makes sense, as players have to keep on track of not just the tiles they’re looking for, but also the tiles that their opponents discard, and the tiles that they seem to be looking for, in order to try and sabotage the hands that they are trying to build.
It’s suitable for all ages
While mahjong might look a little complex at first, and offers a lot of strategic depth, it is certainly a lot more approachable than other similarly strategic games, such as chess. Kids and adults alike get into mahjong every single day. Once you start to recognize the tiles (or play an online game that displays which tiles are what), and you have an idea of the hands that you’re trying to build, even if you’re relying on the most basic hands, it’s very easy to jump in. It’s a game that is learned primarily by playing and, as you get more confident and comfortable with the flow of the game, then you can start studying the more complex and higher-scoring hands.
Video games boosting the platform
While mahjong is traditionally, and still very widely played in social spaces, in the flesh, it has seen an extra level of platform-bolstering popularity in the digital space, as well. This has largely been due to the rise of online video games. Aside from the rise of plenty of dedicated online and free mahjong games on the internet, be it through phones or browsers, it has also been becoming much more popular within certain premium games, too. For instance, many gamers would admit that their first exposure to mahjong has been through video games such as Yakuza and Final Fantasy XIV, both of which allow them to play them as a mini-game in their highly-detailed digital worlds.
It’s a great social game
When compared to other games of logic and puzzles, mahjong’s competitive nature allows it to also be a much more social experience. Mahjong clubs and communities throughout the country have grown as a result of this, and many people return to the same tables to play with the same people time and time again. The fact that it can have as many as four players means that it also offers a bit more of an easy-going competition compared to the intense 1-on-1 matches that make up the vast majority of chess games, and can also lend them a little of the toxicity the community has become known for. Every gaming community deals with that, of course, but Mahjong is slightly less prone to it.
It’s also an excellent podcast game
If you prefer to play alone, whether it’s against AI controller opponents, or people on the opposite side of the world through one of the many online mahjong games, then it’s also worth noting that it is a highly relaxing and therapeutic game. While it does require strategy and planning, it’s a game with plenty of downtime, and it’s not going to use up your whole brain to take your turn each time. As such, it’s an excellent game for putting on a podcast or a Youtube video alongside, giving you a relaxing yet gratifying way to spend a portion of your day for some much-needed chill time.
Mahjong is a game that has been beloved for a long time now, and it’s no surprise that in the world of online gaming, it has become even more popular recently. If you haven’t had the opportunity to dive into it yet, why not give it a go?
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