King of Tokyo is a fun, fast paced game that we enjoy having our on shelf and it also a great game for social skills development for 10 year olds.
And these same social skills can also be developed in players of all ages!
Here are some social skills that this game helps to develop:
- Taking turns: Players will learn how to take turns when playing the game, which is an important social skill.
- Patience: Each time it is another player’s turn, this teaches other players to wait for their next turn.
- Communication: In this game, communication occurs throughout the various stages from working out a strategy with another player to defeat a common enemy or some good ol’ fun loving (and not mean) trash-talking, such as, “Alienoid is going to totally smash Gigazaur!”
- Sportsmanship: Notice the game is called KING of Tokyo, not “KINGS”, meaning there will only be ONE winner. This mechanic teaches players how to win and lose, gracefully, and remember, there can always be a rematch!
- Strategic thinking: Personal strategy as well as “the enemy of my enemy is my friend” strategy development can unfold and helps players with problem solving and a bit of negotiation.
- Empathy: By playing the game and putting themselves in the shoes of the monsters they are playing, children can develop empathy for others.
- Decision-making: All of the strategy in the world won’t help until a decision is made, such as attack, or defend. This game is full of opportune moments in which to develop this valuable skill, and quickly.
- Negotiation: When playing with more than 2 players, negotiation skills come in handy to decide if a temporary truce and alliance might be made to take out the current monster within Tokyo City.
- Adaptability: With each battle comes the need to develop the skill to adapt to the situation that just occurred and what situations might be about to occur as well. For example, one monster might cause another monster to want to leave Tokyo City, and this can force a previously made strategy to be re-examined before the next round.
- Socialization: It would be an odd game if King of Tokyo was played in silence, and why would anyone do that when there are lots of opportunities to socialize, make monster sounds, declare victories, and more! This game leaves plenty of opportunity for good socialization skills to develop.
King of Tokyo is a great board game for 10 year olds and all ages above 8 according to the box and our experience : )