5Ws: What you need to know about tabletop games
After a three-year period in which we were locked in our homes, in-person board games have become popular again.
The board game market rose by 28 percent in 2023 according to The Washington Post and is is was valued between $11 and $13 billion in 2022. It is projected to rise a further 11 per cent by 2027.
If you want to get out and have a night with friends, tabletop games offer a perfect reason to get together. .
What are tabletop games?
In short, tabletop games are any kind of games that require you to get together around a table to play. Trading card games such as Magic: The Gathering, miniature games such as Warhammer 40,000 and board games like Settlers of Catan all count as tabletop games.
Who plays tabletop games?
Anyone can play a tabletop game. According to Dicebreaker.com, a news website specializing in news surrounding tabletop games, interest in the classic and popular Dungeons & Dragons has increased by 85 per cent since 2020. The game’s publisher, Wizards of the Coast, has seen a 46 per cent spike in revenue in the same timeframe.
What games can I play?
The fun thing about tabletop games is that there are tens of thousands of games, and there is sure to be at least one for you to enjoy. You can play board games like Settlers of Catan and King Of Tokyo, or you could try playing a miniatures game, which utilize dozens of small interchangeable playing pieces to build armies, such as Warhammer 40,000 and Star Wars: Legion.
You could play a Role Playing Game like Pathfinder or the infinitely popular Dungeons & Dragons, or you could dip your hand into the world of the ever-popular Trading Card Game, in which you construct a deck of cards and play in matchups against another player, with games such as Magic: The Gathering, Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh! Dominating the space.
Where do I go to play?
There are a multitude of game stores to go to in the college area. Within a 15-minute bus ride there is Game Breakers, a sports and trading card shop on Baseline Road, as well as Out Of The Box, a store on Robertson Road specializing in miniature games such as Warhammer 40,000.
“I frequent a store nearby called Wizard’s Tower,” said Brandon Wong-Dearing, a computer service technician student and a student on the Board of Governors. ” A great place to hang out with friends every day of the week.”
However, there is one other place Algonquin College students can go to play, and it happens to be on-campus. The college’s tabletop games club, which holds meetings every Thursday from 5 to 9 p.m.
“At Algonquin I feel like the tabletop club is the best place to play,” said Mohamed Abudina, an avid Dungeons & Dragons fan and student in the business management and entrepreneurship program.
Why Should I Start To Play?
Overall, I think that the main reason for many people to join is unanimous among active players; to make new connections and to relax and enjoy yourself.
“It’s a great stress reliever, and it’s a great way to make new friends,” said Abudina.
“Games like Magic: The Gathering are a great time to just kick back and mess around with friends,” said Wong-Dearing. “It’s rather easy to get into and they release so much for the game it never really gets stale.”
How do I start playing?
Depending on the game you choose to start with, you will need to pick up some required resources, such as figures, cards, dice, or whatever else your game may call for. However, when it comes to actually beginning to learn the games they want to play, the advice is once again unanimous: dive in and play.
“The best way I could advise someone to play any game at the club in general is to just play and be very social,” said Abudina. “Be extroverted, because it will make everything a lot more fun.”
“Learning may look daunting, but there is a ton of resources online to get started and learn the basics. Going to any introductory events at a local game store when they’re offered is a great start,” said Wong-Dearling.
