-Jagruti Katkar
It should create conversations, friendships and a little harmless chaos,” he says. “Some arrive as groups, while others come without knowing anybody and end up spending the evening around a table with complete strangers,” says Gaurav. I found the first friends I had in Goa were board gamers,” she says.
Board-game meet-ups in Goa are becoming a way for people to step out of their usual social circles, meet strangers and spend time away from screens. organisers say the bigger draw is the community that forms around the table While the games range from easy card games to strategy and social deduction. For Gaurav Bhardwaj, founder of a restaurant in Benaulim, the idea behind its Games Night is to give people more reasons to meet. “A restaurant should be more than a place where people sit across a table and look at their phones. The Games Night, hosted with games host Sabah, is deliberately informal, with people arriving, finding a table and joining different games. NO SMALL TALK NEEDED For Sejal Luthra, from Varca, board games became a way to build friendships after moving to Goa. An avid player who had attended meet-ups in Bengaluru and Gurgaon, she later started including board-game sessions in her community initiative, Seed Space. “Board games was that for me.
Her first meet-up attracted 12 people, including complete beginners. He arrived without knowing anyone and joined a group of around 8–10 people.
“Even if you don’t know them, you can still play a game together and get to know each other through the game aspect,” Sejal says. “You don’t need to know any of these games; I teach everything,” says Rahul. “The games give them an easy way to meet new people without the awkwardness of small talk,” he says. “Games are meant to be played and not shelved,” he says. “It felt more engaging than just going to a restaurant because the games naturally brought everyone together and made conversations happen,” he says.
Many participants came alone, so Sejal starts with an icebreaker and an easy card game before moving on to other games. For those hesitant about joining a group of strangers, this is part of the appeal. FROM STRANGERS TO FRIENDS Rahul Gupta, who runs a game community in South Goa, also sees board games as an easy entry point for people looking to build a social circle. His group welcomes both locals and visitors, with sessions held a couple of times a week, usually at cafés. For these meet-ups, no previous experience is needed. The idea was to give people, both locals and visitors, an easy, welcoming way to try modern games and meet each other – Rahul Gupta, Dabolim He has noticed that many people who attend have recently moved to Goa or have found it difficult to make friends. A TABLE FULL OF POSSIBILITIES Suyog Kamat, co-founder of a Goa-based game studio, started hosting game nights after realising that the games collected for research were meant to be played and shared. They now collaborate with cafés, art galleries and event spaces for game nights, welcoming both new players and seasoned gamers. Sessions usually begin with simple, interactive games before moving into strategy or social deduction. For Swapnil from Porvorim, who discovered a meet-up through a reel, the social aspect was what stood out. Board games are a fun and better way to understand people’s mindset, thought process and problem-solving skills – Deepika, Dabolim You use AI every day. Now get your AI Quotient. Take the AIQ test Get the latest Lifestyle News and more. Download the TOI app.