Board Game Cafes are The New Hangout Spots

Board games are no longer the exclusive domain of children or restricted to weekends spent at home with the family. More members of Gen Z, and even senior citizens are giving pubs, bowling alleys and even streaming platforms a miss, and opting instead to spend their free time moving counters while seated in cafes dedicated to these games.

Board game cafes have sprung up in Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad, Bangalore, Coimbatore, Vijayawada, and other cities. There are experts in various games who will explain the rules, and even guide the players if needed. The cafes charge on an hourly basis and also offer full-day passes. Most of them also serve food to keep the players going while they battle it out across the tables.

Meaningful distraction

Dr Ameesha Doshi, a paediatrician from Mumbai says, “Instead of binge-watching shows on a holiday, I prefer playing board games such as Catan and Cascadia with my friends. Board games are fun, mentally stimulating and improve concentration. They offer a meaningful distraction from work, which is de-stressing.”

In the context of the digital era, board game cafes offer a much-needed opportunity to connect with people and have real conversations.

Rohithaashv N Gugulothu, a filmmaker from Hyderabad in his 20s, feels the cafes aid in making new friends and strengthening existing bonds. “As children, my siblings and I played a lot of board games. Today we live in different cities, but whenever we meet, we enjoy visiting board games cafés. It helps us relive our childhood memories and create new ones. And most importantly, there is teasing, arguing, laughter, friendly banter, resolving of conflicts, and of course, healthy competition.”

Something for everyone

Many cafes offer a variety of board game options, and so players have something new to look forward to every time. They offer dice games, puzzles, tabletop games, dexterity games, life skill games, area control and city-building cooperative games, strategy and war games, business games, and much more. Scrabble, Chess, Monopoly, Pictionary, Ticket to Ride, Dungeons and Dragons, Cascadia, Jenga, Catan, Terra Mystica, Agricola, Clue, Codenames, Wingspan and Caylus are some of the popular games people play.

Board games are popular globally, and apart from the old favourites, new ones have been developed for all age groups in the last few years. People have become more interested in socializing after the pandemic, realizing the importance of a community and physical get-togethers, boosting the popularity of games cafés.

Meeting of minds

Ronak Chitalia and Neerav Rukhana started the Bombay Board Game Club in Vile Parle. It has furniture specially designed for comfort while sitting for long hours, a pantry, and trained staff who can teach and host games. Ronak, a gaming enthusiast himself, says, “Our regular patrons are in the 23-50 years age-group, typically, working professionals who are aware of the advantages of offline gaming. Through our club, members also gain social exposure and meet like-minded individuals in a friendly environment where they can sit down and play games for hours. Board games encourage interaction, cooperation, and healthy competition. They are the perfect gateway to endless hours of fun and connection!”

Board Café, Hyderabad, which has three branches in the city, combines the love of board games and food. This café has a menu of over 80 items, ranging from sandwiches to rice bowls and mocktails. Bhujang and Sireesha Behara, the couple who started it, developed a passion for board games when they lived in Chicago and Prague.

“We have categorized the games as light, medium, and heavy strategy. Depending on the group’s level of interest we suggest games. It is not only friends and families that come to play; people host kitty and birthday parties, reunions, and even bridal showers here,” says Bhujang Behara.

Mentally stimulating and stress-busting

Board game clubs and café also conduct various stressbuster and team-building programmes for corporate companies. They offer the option of game experts visiting homes and offices too, to teach groups and engage them in board game sessions. Though it is a recreational activity, many play competitively too, and so some cafes organize game-specific tournaments.

Dr. Rashi Agarwal, psychiatrist, and mental health expert, lists many benefits of playing board games offline.

“Anything that we do, touch, and play with hands benefits the mind and improves brain health,” she says. “Board games provide options for socialization. Playing these games is mentally relaxing, and boosts serotonin and dopamine, the ‘happy hormones’. Complex games which take hours to complete promote problem-solving instincts and also provide an aura of suspense. Additionally, there is the excitement of trying something new and taking on fresh challenges.”

Corporate value

Board games have also emerged as innovative teaching tools in B-schools and corporate training sessions. “Many business schools are introducing case studies/group projects to design boards. This helps improve the attention span which has reduced due to social media. Also, board games are a good down time activity and instil patience, as players have to wait for their turn. This provides a different thinking approach and enhances creativity,” she states.

Bollywood’s favourite

Aamir Khan loves the game of chess. Apart from playing with his family and friends, he has also played a charity match against GrandMaster and World Champion Viswanathan Anand. Among other board games, he particularly likes Settlers of Catan.

Neetu Kapoor is an expert in Scrabble and her daughter Riddhima finds it tough to win against her. Neetu was trained in Scrabble by her actor husband, the late Rishi Kapoor, as per Riddhima’s Insta story.

During the pandemic lockdown, actor Anushka Sharma and her cricketer hubby Virat Kohli played Ludo and Monopoly with their families, while Alia Bhatt enjoyed games of Catan with her sister Shaheen.

Akshay Kumar and his wife Twinkle Khanna enjoy playing board games in their free time. On his 55th birthday, Akshay spent the evening playing Backgammon. Twinkle calls him her Scrabble Master

Katrina Kaif too enjoys board games and has often posted photos of herself playing them during the lockdown and during breaks in her shooting schedules. Former Miss World and actor Manushi Chhillar plays chess with her father, Dr Mitra Basu Chhillar. She feels that the game stretches the mind in terms of strategy and imagination.