How Millennials Made Board Games Cool Again

These days, whenever you go out drinking with a bunch of friends to a hipster pub that everyone's raving about, you're greeted by a strange sight. A group of friends, similar to yours, sitting on a table and actually interacting with each other through the shared camaraderie of board games, instead of staring at their smartphone screens until their eyes pop out. It looks like a scene straight out of a dream; table after table indulging in a fun game of UNO, Cards against Humanity, Scrabble, or Jenga with their friends while sipping on a pint of brewed beer. Except, believe it or not, it's definitely real. Millennials are making board games cool again. © Pinterest When we were growing up, board games were our closest friends. It's how we chose to unwind after a tiring day at school. At home, my parents, my sister and I would alternate between playing a game of Ludo or Carrom most evenings. My sister and I would team up against our parents, and treat the game in front of us as if it was a matter of life and death. Winning was of utmost importance; it was not only a sign of your mental prowess but also came with a sufficient amount of bragging rights. And, how cool was it to defeat your parents? Pretty much, I'd admit. I also remember hunched over a game of Snakes and Ladders and Scrabble with my set of friends on most weekends whenever we weren't in a mood to head out and cycle. Groups would be formed, allegations would be proclaimed, and memories would be etched. For weeks after, we would laugh out loud reminiscing about stories from a previous game- it could be a stupid move, an act of sly cheating or that winning moment. At that point, we didn't need to indulge in small talk with our friends, because board games gave us enough and more situations, memories and opportunities to talk about with each other. Almost all of us have our own personal memories attached to board games, don't we? © boredinvancouver But, back then, board games were still only an indoor game, regardless of how frequently we ended up playing it. It was our fall back option; one that we came to when we had exhausted all our other options. Naturally, over time we stopped relying on board games until there came a day when we didn't need it anymore. We had cellphones, laptops, Netflix, and Instagram and there were more than a million ways for us to talk to our friends. We just didn't need the help of board games anymore. As they accumulated dust, discarded on the top of our cupboards, we started forgetting their very charm. That changed, almost suddenly, two years ago. Ironically, it was our technologically drunk lives that distanced us from board games, and a year ago, it was our over-dependence on the same that had us running back to the comfort of these games. Allow me to explain. At a time when the internet has taken over our lives, and attention spans, we millennials are urgently looking for a way to disconnect. For a long time, hanging out with our friends would mean either watching Netflix together or staring at our phones over breakfast. It was like we were there, yet not there. It was around the same time that breweries and hipster cafes took to stocking board games in their premises in a bid to offer their customers an experience that they'd remember. And, for millennials like me, this was a golden opportunity. The only silver lining in forgetting the charm of board games is the fact that now we are rediscovering them with a unique gusto. Suddenly, board games are everywhere: at house parties, at destination weddings, and at your boss's bachelorette. © Thinkstock The takers for these new and improved games are also a dime a dozen. People started driving out in hordes with their friends to these pubs and cafe and rush to pick the board game for the evening. Small talk or staring at our phones was suddenly not on the agenda. In playing, losing and sharing a few laughs, board games are helping us connect with our friends better than ever. And guess what? It's no longer an activity strictly meant for the bland indoors. Millennials, have succeeded in not just making board games cool, but also taking them out to the world. After all, what's better than sipping your favourite pint and winning at Ludo. As it turns out, the world's merely a board game, and all millennials want to do is be the best player. So, the next time you meet people who scream hoarse about how millennials--the most awful generation to ever exist--have ruined almost everything, take them out and play their favourite board game with them.