There is a new normal at the Convo@C20 cafe in Adyar, Chennai. The owner, Ashwin Sundaram, oversees operations as customers troop and get set to deposit their mobiles in lockers. Now, one must be wondering why have lockers in a cafe. Well, the answer is simple. Think back to the last time you went to a cafe or a lounge. What did you see? Friends, family, lovers, all out ostensibly together for a meal, and almost 80 percent of them engrossed in their cellphones. With the Convo@C20 cafe, this is what Ashwin wanted to change. To make the experience a more enjoyable one for his patrons, Ashwin incorporated a stack of board games such as Bugs in the Kitchen, Otrio, Suspend, Oh Snap and many more, with free-flowing conversations and appetising food and drinks. And this is just one of the ever-growing places in the country where the eating-out experience is no longer limited to staring at giant TV screens or glitzy cellphones. The board game is proving to be a worthy contender for the people’s attention and since the concept is all about inclusivity, it’s a win-win situation for all. Most of the children of the 80s and 90s identify with board games. With no Instagram and Pinterest, or even the outdated messaging services, many from these generation became absolute experts at it.
That fever is back, and with new avatars of the games. Maybe shows such as Big Bang Theory have helped in reviving the genre. Who doesn’t enjoy watching how Sheldon Cooper completely destroys Pictionary with his super-scientific logic? This gaming trend seems to be growing with every passing year. So much so that it has become the latest addition to the consumer-luring tactics of the F&B industry in all the major metros of India.
Senthil Kumar Gowri Sankar, chief board gamer and founder of MADIEE (Making a Difference in Educational Experience), Chennai, says, “The interest level for board games are on the rise, thanks to the socialising aspect. Besides, it lets you detoxify yourself from the digital front. Board games help people sit down, connect and have real conversation. MADIEE hosts board gaming nights every Thursday at Convo@C20 cafe and we also host gaming sessions inside Anna University, Chennai.” Sankar’s company also designs board games on law, economics and public policy, design thinking, empathy, creativity and more that aid socio-emotional learning. He adds, “I correlate each board game to a book. Just like you read a book and learn from it, you co-learn from a board game. It also helps in breaking stereotypes. Board games are not just for kids. India is fast adapting to board games.”
It’s also about the love of the game that so many enthusiasts are promoting it. In the process, this is helping a lot of people make a life beyond their mobile phones, strike new friendships and get a new zest for life. Board games are also known to make the brain sharper and smarter. A study conducted at Harvard Medical School in 2017 pointed out that loneliness can be more detrimental to health than smoking. Happiness, on the other hand, is strongly correlated with close relationships with family members and friends. Playing both board games and video games with family members provide opportunities to get together and develop these relationships. They stimulate players physically, mentally and emotionally. Playing board games can reduce the risk of mental diseases, cognitive decline, such as that associated with dementia and Alzheimer’s. And keeping the mind engaged means it is getting exercise and getting stronger. A 2017 study published in Frontiers in Human Neuroscience showed that experienced players of the board game Baduk, or Go, had increased gray matter, leading to more positive experiences and enthusiasm.
According to Jagadishwar Bingewar of the Second Cup cafe in Sainikpuri, Hyderabad, “Cafes are hangout places and board games help enhance the experience. They make a table conversation livelier and more interesting, and serve a great purpose to fill time, while patrons wait for their food orders.” His cafe has old school board games such as Chess, Ludo, Jenga and Uno. And unlike some cafes where board game addicts are hooked to the latest version of some ultra sophisticated and brain twister games, Bingewar’s cafe attracts a more traditional clientele.
While cafe owners and entrepreneurs are going ahead with dishing out exciting board games with their edible fares, what do the patrons have to say? Many of those who come to such places and are keen to try out a game or two do so out of sheer nostalgia. It is something they relate to. Some are also keen to take to it after a trip abroad where board gaming is quite common. Delhi resident Avani Gupta, 28, is a data scientist at Airtel. For her, weekends are not just about movies, shopping and eating out. Amid her busy life, she manages to find time for her passion—board games. Along with a group of like-minded pals, she heads to some cafe or restaurant and spends hours board-gaming, accompanied by the occasional bite and drink. And mind you, this is definitely not a dating zone. This is serious business, she insists. In Avani’s case, it was the revival of a childhood interest. “My interest was rekindled when I went to the US for studies. A few years ago, no one really played board games at public spaces in India. But the last two years have seen the interest coming back in a very strong way. I was hooked on my first adult board game Catan when I played with friends in Austin and since then there has been no looking back,” she says. Avani is now an admin with the society Board Gamers of Delhi that meets at places such as Cafe Qahwa or has tie-ups with MyHQ, a networking platform that provides different venues to indulge in the game.
Mumbai-based general surgeon Kiron Krishnaprasad, 26, is equally passionate about his profession as he is about the board game, Catan. “My memories with the game go back a long way. Board games are such a simple and easy way to get to know people. The versatility is what makes it attractive,” he smiles. In the capital city and elsewhere, board game enthusiasts themselves have become entrepreneurs. Shikha Pahwa of Cafe Qahwa in Delhi says, “The board game trend has always been there. We’ve always had someone or the other asking for games to play and we’re happy to have something to offer. Chess and Cross n Knots are classic evergreen games. I don’t think there’s anyone who wouldn’t want to play them. The group, Board Gamers of Delhi, comes here every weekend to play. They bring their own games and play for at least half a day.” Elsewhere at the Cafe Wanderlust in Gurgaon, Disha Saxena tries to recreate an ambience for people where they feel like they are on vacation. “Ours is a travel cafe. Groups from different age brackets pour in, especially on a weekend to enjoy board games and chai,” she says. From vintage and new-age board games, they have it all—Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Scrabble, Monopoly, Pictionary, UNO, Battleship, Jenga, Memory Plus, Scotland Yard, Brainvita.
For some, board games are more than just a hobby. Kolkata-based Kirti Rathi, 38, quit her fulltime job as a banker to set up a board games cafe called Boggling Games. She tied up with schools, corporates and the Jadhavpur University. “In 2014, I met with an accident and was bed-ridden for three months. Friends and well-wishers would come over and we would end up playing board games. I soon decided to quit my job and start a board games cafe. Initially, business was sluggish but now things are picking up. The food-game combo seems to have worked.” But she says her biggest satisfaction comes when she sees children/adults veer away from their laptops or and mobile phone apps to actually indulge in real conversation over a game. Riddhi Dalal of Mumbai is another bird of the same feather. She opened her own board gaming cafe simply because she wanted a space to sit in for longer hours to play games. “In my cafe, you don’t need to order any food to be able to sit for long hours and play. It’s simply to encourage lovers of board games.”
Delhi-based marketing professional Joydeep Nandi, 29, is addicted to Bloodrage. To him, board games are a unique way of having fun while keeping your brain ticking. Also, the fact that board games help you get to know and make friends with people from different backgrounds and professions is an added advantage, he believes. Data analyst Akash Swain, 25, who works at American Express in Delhi, rates Agricola as his favourite board game. “The only thing more amazing than the brilliant and beautiful games are the brilliant and beautiful people you meet through the hobby,” he says. Akash plays for up to eight-nine hours at a stretch on weekends. For Mumbai-based digital marketing professional Ritika Kapur, board games are a way to connect with friends and family and meet like-minded people. She visits the Creeda cafe in Mumbai often with her father to indulge in its treasure trove of 200-plus board games.
With demand grows supply. R Jeswant, senior vice-president, sales & marketing, Funskool India, says, “The recent Indian edition to determine a winner to represent the country in the World Rummikub Championship to be held in Tel Aviv in November saw much higher participation compared to the ones held earlier.” Places such as Mumbai even have an annual board games convention. Says Mohit Goel of the Mumbai Board Gamers, “I discovered this exciting new world of modern board games more than a decade ago, online at www.boardgamegeek.com. Soon I started building an active community, and about six years ago along with Prashant Maheshwari founded the Mumbai Board Gamers. We have hosted more than 600 meet-ups in Mumbai and have nearly 2,000 members. Now, communities have also come up in Pune, Bengaluru, Delhi and Chennai.” His company, Meeples Games and Events, also organises corporate events. The next MEEPLECON will be held on December 2, at Phoenix Market City, Kurla, with over 3,000 attendees and 100 games.
Says Soumya Ramasubramaniam, 30, a mobilisation manager at Change.org and also a member/admin of the Board Gamers of Delhi: “The interest is definitely growing. The first time I showed up for a meet-up, I didn’t know anyone. But I was welcomed and all rules were explained. I kept going back. The people, the experiences and the opportunity to do something ‘thinky’ yet fun, was irresistible. We all have board game stories—of the time when you stole a win from someone right under their nose, or the time you were doing really well, only to find your game fall apart hilariously at the last minute. There are people who play to win, while some play to have fun. But either way, you will laugh.”
Board gaming experts say that since it is not a costly hobby, it has huge potential but it needs to develop more locally. So where does one buy the games from? Online at Amazon is the best way to go, say addicts. Sonal Pandey, admin at the Bangalore Board Gamers, started her own games company after she saw the escalating interest. “I’ve seen people getting hooked on board games in my meet-ups. Every week we have 8-10 beginners and they keep coming back.” This new-found love for board games and the quest to find a game more worthy of your interest and time is pushing many to develop games of their own. Noida resident and senior business analyst Harshad Mehta is among them. He developed a game called Barbers, which is about two people playing as newfangled barbers trying to run their own salon. One earns points by quickly giving customers all the cuts and shaves they need, while keeping the grumpy old neighbourhood barber from stealing customers. Whoever has the most points at the end of the game wins. It can be played in about 20 minutes and can be bought online on thegamecrafter.com. A few Indian companies like the Bored Yogi and the Board Game Co, too, sell interesting games. The more, the merrier it seems. Gautam Goenka of the Bored Yogi says, “Modern board games are engaging, well-designed and a superb way to spend the evening with friends. The concepts are intriguing and really cover a variety of areas.”
Maybe it is the nostalgia, or maybe the relaxing atmosphere it offers, or even working the grey cells to a fever pitch and still not feel the stress... whatever the reason, the fact is that board games are here to stay. So roll up your sleeves, get comfortable, and go on a rollercoaster joyride.
The players
Joydeep Nandi
Marketing professional, Delhi
Fave game: Bloodrage
“Board games are a unique way of having fun while keeping your brain ticking at the same. For people like me, even heavier games don’t feel like a lot of stress but a good way to spend time on weekends or post work during weekdays. Board games help you to make friends with so many new people from different backgrounds and professions but with a common interest.”
Akash Swain
Data Analyst, American Express, Delhi
Fave game: Agricola company, which is all about people raising their families through agriculture.
Why board games? “If it’s pretty and made of cardboard, I’ll usually bring it home. The only thing more amazing than the brilliant and beautiful games are the brilliant and beautiful people you meet through the hobby.”
Time he spends on the internet: 4-5 hours daily
How long does he play boardgames? Usually on weekends 8-9 hours at a stretch
“My interest grew when I started looking for a hobby and to make new friends. There were meetups in IIT, Delhi, and I started going there. I was then studing at the Delhi School of Economics.”
Dr Kiron Krishnaprasad,
General Surgeon, Mumbai
Fave game: Catan because of the memories
I share with that game.
“Board games are the best! Such a simple and easy way to get to know people, have fun and compete for the glory. The versatility is what makes it attractive, the fact that most of these board games are the brainchilds of some ordinary people with vivid imagination.”
Praveen Kumar AX
Tech Lead,
startup Loctoc
Fave game:
7 Wonders
“In this hyper active digital age, board games help me connect socially with fellow enthusiasts. It’s a really fun activity for the entire family.”