Gamification may seem like a very sophisticated word, but the concept is as old as human civilization itself. Just spend some time observing how children play and you will quickly realize that playing and learning are pretty much the same thing for them.
In fact, kids, and even adults, learn better if it involves a fun and entertaining experience. Gamification works the other way round as well. You can use games and target specific skills and learning experiences like strategic games for thinking.
Chess
Our brain has the capacity to store and manipulate a million gigabytes of data. Even the faster computer in the world pales in comparison to our brain. However, the big issue here is that the brain or the mind is not very easy to control.
This is why chess is one of the top strategic games for thinking. The concepts are pretty simple and the game is played on a 8×8 board of 64 squares. However. With a king, a queen, two sets of three pieces, and eight pawns, you can come up with a billion playing combinations.
The best thing about chess is that every move leads to an exponential increase in how the game can move ahead. If you want to improve your thinking capacity and the ability to react quickly to complicated data, then chess should top your list of strategic games.
Sudoku
Sudoku can be described as the numeric version of chess. 9×9 board of 81 boxes with each row and column to be filled with 1-9. This is a fantastic training exercise for logical thinking because you have to logically identify the right number for the right box.
Like chess, introducing a time-limit for your moves can create the illusion of stress and help you not just think hard but think fast as well.
Scrabble
Again, the similarities between chess and Sudoku are unmistakable. Scrabble has a bigger board and involves creating interlinked words out of random letters on tiles pulled out of a bag. This game requires good application of your logical thinking skills, which means merely having a good vocabulary is no guarantee of a victory.
Thinking is a generic concept and it may seem impossible to train your mind to think better. However, using games like the ones described above will create conditions where, irrespective of the gameplay, the end result is a sharp boost to your ability to think logically, quickly, and strategically.