Play Is the Best Medicine

Board games typically call to mind happy domestic images like mom and dad sitting at the kitchen table teaching the kids how to play Clue or a group of friends sharing snacks while trying out the latest tabletop offering at their weekly game night.

But board games aren’t always about the sheer pleasure of playing. Nor are they limited to sorting out who wins and who loses. Sometimes, as the folks at Focus Games Ltd. know all too well, a seemingly ordinary board game can have a serious purpose.

Focus Games, which is based in the United Kingdom, creates games that help health care professionals and social service providers do their jobs better. The company has developed roughly 60 games, including Dr. Jargon, a game designed to help health care professionals communicate more clearly