Tabletop Games in a time of Pandemic
In the current climate of social distancing and lockdown, many of us are turning to tabletop games as a way to alleviate boredom and to re-connect with family and friends. Social distancing doesn’t mean social isolation, and in these uncertain times, tabletop games offer a valuable way to bring people together and, for a time at least, forget about the trials and tribulations taking place in the world outside. Thanks in part to crowdfunding sites such a Kickstarter, there is now such a plethora of games that it would be almost impossible to play all of the titles released in even a single calendar year. While the choice on offer is exciting, it can also be rather bewildering. So, which games should we be recommending, especially to people who might be new to gaming?
With so much to choose from, where do you start?
In our research we regularly use commercial off-the-shelf games to start conversations with different publics (from festival goers and youth clubs to NHS workers and the Ministry of Defence) and over the years we’ve sometimes fallen foul of picking games, often very good games, that simply didn’t work for the target audience. While we still don’t get it right 100% of the time, the following three rules have helped us to improve our hit rate:
Consider gaming literacy. Look for games that take less than half an hour to play and under 5 minutes to teach.
Small footprint. Not everyone has access to a dedicated gaming table, and so ideally games should be playable on a small flat surface.
Low cost. Whilst games represent tremendous value for money in terms of entertainment and replay value, cost can be a barrier for many.
There are, of course, plenty of other things to things to consider – things such as accessibility (language dependency, for example), player-count (from solo-play to large group play), and subject (will players prefer an abstract game, or something more thematic) – but the list above has always gives us a good starting point before we consider these more specific questions.
Sam recently appeared on BBC radio stations across the UK to recommend games for people to play during lockdown. Prompted by the above three rules of engagement he turned to Twitter to ask what games people would suggest that: were simple to learn and play, required nothing more than a small flat surface, and cost £20 or less.
Gaming Tweeps! Going to be on BBC radio on Mon to talk about games to play in isolation. What would you recommend? Looking for games that: cost under £20, take up little space, and are easy to learn. Go! pic.twitter.com/TWYDJQCGiY
— Sam Illingworth (@samillingworth) April 3, 2020
There followed a flurry of recommendations, of which we would offer the following 5 (in no particular order):
Forbidden Island is a fantastic gateway game into the genre of collaborative games, and is a natural stepping stone for Pandemic. Both games offer players the opportunity to work together to overcome a collective goal, highlighting the importance of teamwork and cooperation. Pandemic in particular, whilst perhaps slightly too complex a game as a way of welcoming people to the tabletop, offers players a real sense of empowerment, while simultaneously communicating the complex negotiations that must take place at a truly global scale in order to ward off a real-life pandemic.
Tabletop Simulator makes it possible to play classic games like Catan in a completely virtual environment (Image Credit: Tabletop Simulator).
For those people who are self-isolating and living by themselves, there are a variety of virtual applications that mean you can continue to play tabletop games with your friends, families, and other loved ones. Video conferencing software such as Zoom, Skype, and Google Hangouts all have free versions which mean that a variety of games can be played providing that each of the players have a copy of the game in question, and that they are willing to be honest! Some titles can also be played without multiple versions of the game, with Codenames being a particular good example.
Obviously dexterity games, such as Jenga, Junk Art, and the aforementioned Rhino Hero, are difficult to play in these conditions. However, software such as Tabletop Simulator and Tabletopia enable many hundreds of games to be played in a virtual environment. If you find yourself on the losing team, you can even flip over the virtual table, scattering virtual pieces across a virtual landscape, although sadly the consequences of such poor gamesmanship will likely remain beyond the virtual arena.
However you choose to play them, tabletop games are an effective way of engaging with your loved ones in these difficult times, providing opportunities to alleviate rising tensions with those that we are confined with, and offering the perfect platform to (virtually) catch up with those we miss seeing in the flesh.
Sam Illingworth & Paul Wake