No child’s play: Board game meetups thriving in Bengaluru

A growing number of Bengalureans are taking to board games, say groups and spaces that have been hosting board game meetups for years. New events and enquiries have increased significantly, they tell Metrolife. 

Young audience

The community, ‘Victory Point Board Games’, started by Rohith Dabbiru eight years ago, hosts four meetups a week. “We started with two meetups a week. However, we’ve noticed a two-fold increase in enquiries and walk-ins over the last year. We now host two meetups on weekdays and two on weekends,” he says. Some popular games they play include Blood On The Clocktower, Dune Imperium, Cubirds, Break The Code, and Modern Art. “Our regulars are aged 23 to 40,” he adds.

Avikant Bhardwaj and Sweekruthi Kaveripatnam, cofounders of Now Boarding Cafe, have been hosting meetups at their cafe in Jayanagar since 2022. “Serious players are interested in games like Castles of Burgundy and Brass Birmingham, which cost anywhere between Rs 6,000 and Rs 8,000,” says Bhardwaj.

To meet the rising demand, they have been hosting two games per day, Tuesday through Friday, since February. Each game features four to eight participants. “Compared to 2022, I have seen a 50-75% increase in footfalls at our meetups,” Bhardwaj notes. He says easier access to affordable board games could have contributed to the rising interest. 

Indian games

Tanushri S N, founder of Roll the Dice, which promotes ancient Indian board games, started meetups four months ago at different city locations. “We play games like Pagade, Aadu Huli, Chowka bara, Kavadi Kali, Pallanguli, and Navakankari, among others,” she says. People aged six to 90 have been attending the monthly meetups, she adds. “Bengalureans are tired of their rushed schedules and want to indulge in digital detox, leading to increased footfalls at such meetups,” observes Tanushri.

Dedicated spaces

Three-year-old venture, Live The Game, based in HSR Layout, has around 600 games in its possession. They build their game nights with
strategy games around themes such as flora and fauna, food, and resource building, says founder Vale Prasadh. “Slots get booked within a few hours of posting about the event,” says Prasadh, whose game nights are held every alternate Friday. It has been five years since Board 4 Bored’s ‘Game Nights Saturdays’ was launched. They start at 10 pm and go on until 1 am. “These events accommodate 15 participants,” explains cofounder Akshatha Kadaba. Enquiries about game nights have gone up by 40% since inception. The cafe has around 700 games.

Church Street-based The Boardgame Den hosts meetups every weekend. “Participation has gone up 20-fold; in 2019 we would have 15-20 participants per weekend, whereas now we see 350-400 players,” says founder Mansi Shah, adding that the games they play include social, strategy, deduction, and area-control games. 

To play, contact:

Victory Point Board Games: Check @vipo_boardgames on Instagram 
Now Boarding Cafe: Look up @nowboardingcafe on Instagram
Roll the Dice: @rollthedice_in on Instagram
Live The Game: @livethegame_playitall on Instagram
Board 4 Bored: @board4bored on Instagram
The Boardgame Den: Call 96866 94048