The Secret Appeal of Hidden Object Games

While the point and click genre has been declining for some time, a new mobile game has emerged called Hidden Object which is now a multi-million dollar industry. It first came to prominence with games publishers like G5 Entertainment and Big Fish Games. The user has to find hidden objects in a chaotic environment and keep these objects for their quest. The genre has evolved so much that players wait for new “chapters” to be published so that they can continue on their journey. There are often free and paid elements to the game, and with game designers getting more and more savvy, it is not difficult to see why so many gamers are hooked.

5 Benefits of Hidden Object Puzzles

While it may all look like fun and games, hidden object picture puzzles have a lot of benefits. They are not just designed to entertain, they also stimulate your attention to detail so that you can become better at focusing. We’ve outlined some more benefits below!

1. The more visual puzzles you solve, the better you will become at noticing intricate details.
2. Following picture clues helps the brain make connections between objects, as well as between concepts.
3. Any type of picture puzzle is absorbing because it makes the player concentrate on the task at hand.
4. Puzzles promote determination and encourage independence.
5. They also improve visual perception skills.

Seek and Find Games

Traditional point and click games rely on players to use the pointer of their mouse to locate something on the screen. The scenarios are always cluttered and colorful which is part of the appeal. The player has to gaze at every element of the picture to find what is hidden. See how long it takes you to find all the objects in the picture below!

Where’s Waldo and Seek and Find Games

If you are old enough to remember the origin of Hidden Object Games, then the book series Where’s Wally? or Where’s Waldo? (as he’s called in North America) could ring a bell. Where’s Waldo? became a huge success when it was first released in the late 80s. The book series continued to engage visual puzzle enthusiasts for decades. Some say it was one of the first Seek and Find Games for kids ever made, and because it was so popular, it even became an animated series.

Waldo is famous for his red and white stripes and the viewer has to find him in crowded places as he travels to all corners of the world. If you like Hidden Object Games, check out our very own eye-spy game Where’s Baby Baldo? Can you see where Baldo is hiding?

These types of visual puzzles rely on your perceptive abilities and are said to improve your cognition. Not only are they entertaining, but some can be educational as well. Just like any other brain training activity, hidden object games enhance visual recognition and spatial memory so that you can increase your brain’s reaction time.