Board games, video games, card games and puzzles. Chances are, you’ve owned one or the other, and that’s a good thing. Playing games can encourage socialization, improve concentration and increase knowledge. Better yet, it has been shown to pump up your memory, fighting the onset and progression of dementia and even Alzheimer’s disease. Word games, One study published by the Journal of International Neuropsychological Society found that late life crossword puzzle participation, independent of education, was associated with delayed onset of memory decline in persons who developed dementia.