Bringing board games back to life in York Region, Simcoe County

YorkRegion.com
March 23, 2017
Brea Bartholet  

Can you remember the last time you sat down to enjoy a strategic game of Monopoly, Connect Four or Labyrinth with your family and friends?

We wouldn’t be surprised if you said no.

Let’s be honest. Technology has seemingly become the centre of the universe. It’s the way we connect, communicate, work, play and organize our daily lives. Cellphones, laptops and tablets have slowly become an integrated part of life — even if we aren’t always willing to admit it.

Sometimes it’s good to revisit your childhood roots through those good, old-fashioned board games. And here’s how you can do just that.

Aside from digging through your closet or reaching up to the dustiest shelf, where else could you go to enjoy both old and new games that will get you away from the screen and interacting face-to-face?

For starters, try visiting your local library. Most house a number of interactive games for people of all ages to enjoy — some even offering board game nights every couple of months if enough interest is shown by the community.

Take the Aurora Public Library, for example.

Reccia Mandelcorn, manager of community collaboration, says the library has hosted numerous board game events throughout the years — especially in collaboration with International Games Day, recognized at libraries across the world every November.

On March 16, the library partnered with Project Autism — a local, parent-volunteer based organization — to host its first-ever autism game night. Mandelcorn says she has seen the importance of board games among all ages, especially when it comes to personal interaction and development.

“It’s a way of getting everybody around a table, interacting with each other in a collaborative way. It keeps people away from their screens,” she said.

“There’s always going to be a rainy day with nothing to do and to be able to pull out that game of monopoly that you haven’t played in a few years and sit down to communicate with one another is a great thing.”

Though a weekly or monthly game night is not a regular occurrence at the library as of right now, Mandelcorn says anyone interested is welcome to come in and form a group or just enjoy the use of the games on their own time.

For those looking for more of an adult-friendly environment, you may want to check out Utopia Dream Café located in Markham.

The business, opened by Peter Li in 2012, offers a comfortable café environment with delicious treats, drinks and of course — board games.

The board game café, a concept that is gaining some serious momentum in the GTA, has more than 300 games for you to choose from — with the inclusion of multilingual games, too.

Li says he opened the Utopia Dream Café because he enjoyed playing board games with his friends regularly — whether it was at home, or a local coffee spot to play some cards.

So, he figured he might as well open his very own café to be able to play with his friends and share his love for board games with others.

Since opening, Li has experienced a lot of success and has witnessed more and more of the cafés opening within the Toronto area.

He sees his café as a place for friends, family and couples to enjoy face-to-face communication, rather than being immersed in social media.

“When I go out to eat at restaurants, I always notice people on a date. They talk a little bit and then start to look at their phones. Same with groups of friends,” he explained.

“But in my place, people put their phones away and interact with one another. Phones and video games are ruining relationships.”

Unfortunately, Li’s business is the only searchable board game café within York Region aside from Markham’s Chit-Chat-Play, which is in the midst of moving to Scarborough.

To the north in Simcoe County, however, there are a few listed board game hot spots including Sir Games-A-Lot, Perplexcity Escape Rooms and Board Game Café and The Creative Space — all located in Barrie.

Both Li and Mandelcorn said while board games are not as popular as they used to be, they seem to be making a comeback.

“I hope more board game cafés or things of the like come to York Region and Simcoe County, because I’ve seen first hand how popular they have become in Toronto,” said Mandelcorn

Li says the type of business requires patience, dedication and a strong knowledge of games which may be a deterring factor to anyone thinking of opening something similar.

“You almost have to be a teacher in a way. A lot of attention and detail is put into my café.”

To learn more about the Utopia Dream Café, visit www.utopiadreamcafe.com. For more information about programs at the APL, visit aurora.library.on.ca