Why Board Games Came Back: The Search for Real-World Connection
Board games have been around for thousands of years, first invented around 3500 BCE in ancient Egypt. While they might have been handcrafted from wood, stone or clay and lacked the bright colours and cartoon-like drawings we see today, they served the same purpose of entertaining and connecting people from all walks of life.
Despite the popularity of online games and mobile titles, board games have endured and are even making a comeback.
How Did Board Games Become Popular Again?
After the console boom and the explosion of highly accessible PC games and smartphone apps, board games found new appeal as a way to unplug. Board game cafés had a hand in the resurgence of board games as a place where customers gather to play tabletop games over a latte or a pastry.
Patrons typically pay an entry fee that allows them to access a library of games, and staff can recommend games or provide instructions if needed. The concept isn’t new—in 2004, Seoul already boasted 130 board game cafés, and the trend quickly spread across Asia.
The board game café scene in the UK was late to the party, beginning around 2013 and 2014, and became popular during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. Most were inspired by Toronto’s Snakes and Lattes, which was largely credited with being the pioneer in the movement in the Western world.
Because these cafés provide a dedicated and approachable place to try a range of board game genres and styles, they successfully attract a wide audience of all ages.
Rediscovering Time Together
While it’s easier than ever to ‘connect’ nowadays with our always-on culture, there’s still something special that the digital world can’t replace. Because our lives are so saturated with quick messages and endless scrolling, moments where we can have face-to-face, uninterrupted time together provide a different kind of human connection.
Board games demand attention and presence that involve sitting around a table, focusing on a shared goal and laughing, debating and reacting in real time to one another.
Digital experiences often can’t foster that same connection because they take away the nuances of face-to-face interaction. There’s no eye contact, real-time emotions and responses, body language, nor the beauty of warmth and shared presence from being in the same physical space.
Rather than simply playing the game by the rules, game time involves conversation, playful rivalry, camaraderie and memories that stay with players well after.
Making Choices Feel Impactful
Make a move, and you’ll instantly feel the weight of your decision. Digital games often rely on algorithms, which means some aspects of the game might be automated or consequences might be softened.
In an online adaptation of Monopoly, for instance, banking is automated, and rules are so heavily enforced that you can’t move on without completing each step correctly.
While this might seem useful to beginners, it removes the occasional rule-bending and natural flow that creates the socially dynamic experience of in-person play.
Playing with real people means your decisions have tangible effects. Perhaps you chose an inexperienced player to ally with or took a risk on a dice roll.
You might face surprising outcomes that no AI could predict and read reactions that could change an otherwise sure choice. The combination of unpredictability and immediacy keeps players constantly invested.
Trust and Teamwork
Online multiplayer games provide an opportunity for players to collaborate, requiring them to share resources, make collective decisions and strategize together. Team-based strategy games like League of Legends and Battle Royale titles like Fortnite are great examples of this and are why millions of players are drawn to them.
As it’s not always possible to meet up with friends every day of the week, these online games make it easy to hop on and get into a lobby right away.
However, online interactions can still feel impersonal or distant, even with a Discord chat open or a headset on. Co-op board games create teamwork that feels highly personal, as the group dynamics happen right there at the table.
There’s also a tactile interaction involved, as team members move and handle physical pieces and cards. The team is also all in the same place, so members can share the energy of the room.
Lessons for the Digital World
The appeal of board games isn’t just about the fact that you can experience everything with everyone in real time—although that’s certainly a plus.
It’s more about reclaiming the desire for simplicity and true connection. Players online and offline share many shared values, including fair play and clear rules, but those online need to ensure they’re using platforms that feel secure just as much as they’re convenient.
It’s like selecting streaming services, subscription boxes or even casino sites with PayPal as an option. You want the peace of mind that your data is protected and your transactions are secure, so you can focus on the fun and engagement of the experience.
Game Nights That Stick With Us
Board games are back in style because they offer something that digital games can’t, and that’s a connection that feels meaningful. It allows us to rediscover what time together looks like and have experiences that literally and figuratively centre on the tabletop game.
Gathering in person means sharing laughter and conversation and enjoying the subtle dynamics that only happen face-to-face. And while we’ll continue to play online games on our phones, computers and consoles, we’ll always crave the magic of in-person game nights.
