Rendezvous, socialization … Board games are popular with thirty-somethings

A game board placed between two pints of beer after a long day of work: “Write the word with the idea while blinking continuously”, reads Yaël, bursting out laughing. At 27, she even tried dating around a game. “It allows you to discover yourself, to do a fairly nice activity, quite fun. It’s great because it allows you to get to know the other. And strangely, we did not see each other again”, she laughs.

More and more thirties are taking on their love of board games and getting started, according to Hugo, boss of Les Grands Gamins, in Paris. He opened this bar right after confinement with his partner.

“A few years ago, I felt like it was a bit dated, but we were a bit ‘geeky’ when we said we liked board games.”

Hugo, owner of the Parisian bar Les Grands Gamins

to franceinfo

“And since, confinement, maybe a year before, it’s fashionable, assures Hugo. I have the impression that it is rather the wind in its sails. I have the impression that the offer has diversified. There are a lot of games. I didn’t know much about it a few years ago. I was quite a fan of board games, but today there are party games that are super fun. It’s super positive for the board game. “

Board game evenings are above all a way of socializing for Tom. In his thirties, he is rather introverted. “We’re still in a time when it’s not super easy to meet people. And in the end, the board game gives a reason to reach out to people, Tom confides. It’s something that might be less easy just going to a normal bar, getting out of work. “ Tonight they share a part of Imperial Brazil with Thomas and Jérémie, whom he met while playing.

Play to make friends, but also to get to know those we already have for Séréna: “You also discover the people you hang out with, assures the young woman of 25 years. When you play with them, it’s not the same. You realize who are the cheaters, who are the people who take the rules very seriously. You see the worst as well as the best of people through the game. ” Jérémie sees it as a social activity as much as an intellectual one: “I like the challenge side and telling myself it’s something that will give me a bit of intellectual problems. And there is the competitive side. “, he explains.

With more than 1,000 new games released each year, according to the bar owner, the trend is not about to stop. A basic trend in recent years, confirmed by a study by the NPD cabinet: those over 18 represented 15% of sales of games and toys in 2020, or 33% more than the previous year.