Pokémon Go might be addictive, but there is a world beyond. Board games, which in most houses had been shoved into attics, are now finding their way out. They are becoming a medium of socialising, team building and understanding academic concepts. Over the last one year, there has been an increase in the number of online communities and physical meet-ups organised exclusively for board games. More people are moving beyond the classics — Monopoly, Scrabble, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, and Scotland Yard — to games such as Game of Thrones, The Walking Dead, Shadowrun: Crossfire, Star Wars: Rebellion and more. “It’s more of an accessible hobby now. If someone wants to explore, there are online communities and networks within the city that they can be a part of. There is an entry point; it wasn’t the case earlier,” says Arjun Sukumaran, who started the 500-member strong Facebook community called Chennai Board Gamers (CBG), last year. That apart, traditional games are now seeing a revival, and over 10 schools across the State have included board games as part of their theatre classes. Playing board games, as it turns out, is finally becoming cool.
At a recent event in the city, clusters of people arranged themselves around a board (scattered with random images of things, food, people, and more) like how they would sit for a classroom debate. Pictureka, the game, required one to spot a certain image from the mix; whoever found it first slapped their palms on the board. Introductory nods were made, and small talk exchanged. The actual bonding happened when someone rolled a dice, flipped the timekeeper, and the group consisting of engineers, photographers, stand-up comedians, homemakers and students, collectively broke into excited shrieks. “And just like that, the social circle of each person expanded. That’s the whole idea of such events. One is entirely dependent on others, and there is no meddling with your smartphones,” says Chitra Bianca Appasamy, co-founder of CBG.
The event marked the launch of board game evenings at Amethyst, a café on Whites Road. The idea is to have more people lounge around casually, and sip their cappuccinos over a game of Scrabble or Sequence. The arrangement is convenient. Bambaram, an online toy library, would contribute the games, and Brigge, a smartphone app, will gather those interested. While Chennai still does not have a dedicated board game space, like in Gurgaon, Bangalore or Mumbai, more cafés are opening up to the idea. Rishika Reddy, business head of The Brew Room, says that over the last one year, she has seen an increase in youngsters hanging out at their outlet in Besant Nagar, playing board games. “People generally bring the boards along with them. But now, we are thinking of stocking up a few in the cafe,” she says. Ashvita Nirvana and Ashvita Bistro have been organising Board Game Nights for over a year, never failing to get a response of less than 80. Hoppipola, a pub in Kodambakkam, has a complete shelf stacked with Jenga, Pictionary, Scrabble, Monopoly and more.
The sudden explosion in interest is apparent. “While there have always been closed groups dedicated to specific games, the attitude is changing,” says Santhosh Subramanian, founder of Bambaram. For instance, the city has had a dedicated group of Scrabblers, a few of whom are National-level champions, meeting almost every Saturday in Gandhi Nagar. There are also groups strictly dedicated to Monopoly, Scotland Yard, Othello, Reversi and Bridge. “But there are hardly any platforms for people who want to try their hand at the ‘hobby board games’,” observes Arjun, adding, “So we thought we will give a holler to people through Facebook.” As imagined, the response was overwhelming. “There is a monthly meet-up in a vacant hall in Gandhi Nagar. We have had kids as young as 10, and senior citizens, taking part. Sometimes, entire families show up,” says Arjun.
On TableTop Day earlier this year (April 30), Chennai Board Gamers arranged for an event, which saw a turn-up of close to 50. “We want to start organising contests, and be able to give away prizes,” says Arjun. For this reason, and for replacements in case of damage, the group has now placed an entry fee of Rs. 100 for each session, since March. “The games are expensive. There are a few platforms (Amazon India, Dice n Dine in Bangalore) to buy it here in India. A better option is to ask friends from abroad to bring some when they visit,” he says.
Meanwhile, Santhosh is taking board games to schools. “It’s an experimental concept. We are trying to ‘gamify’ the concepts; customise a particular game based on the curriculum,” he says. For instance, Twister, a popular game which requires players to place their hands and feet on specific circles on a plastic mat, can be customised, themed on Geography or Math, and Zoo-Opoly, a take-off from Monopoly, requires players to manage a zoo by choosing animals, applying marketing strategies and dealing with money. In Chennai, he takes workshops once a week in five different schools, along with Crea Shakthi, the theatre group, and is planning to introduce it in Corporation schools. Parents are still hesitant to let their kids ‘play’. Exploring a learning side to it, he believes, would be a game-changer.
Try these
Like Monopoly? Try Splendor. A game using chips and cards, where players have to buy mines, means of transportation and shops to get prestige points.
Like Scrabble? Give Paperback a shot. A word-building and card game, which requires a player to form the best word out of the cards in hand.
A fan of Ocean’s Eleven ? Monaco is the game for you. Players get to chose their car, and move it on the board based on what they roll.
Love The Lord of the Rings? There are a whole lot of LOTR games. Check out boardgamegeek.com, YouTube channels Shut Up & Sit Down and The Dice Tower.
Enjoy Pallanguzhi? Check out the collection by city-based companies Kreeda and Urumi.
