“It’s no longer a stigma to be taking a game to a pub and playing it.”
Welcome to the world of Cardiff board game enthusiast Dyfed Bowen.
He is not alone – industry forecasters predict the global board game market will be worth over £9bn by 2023.
It has led to game-themed venues popping-up across the UK – and Wales is no different – as a new breed of gamer looks for an alternative to the modern online culture.
Matt Ekberg, from Cardiff gaming venue Chance and Counters, said: “As video games and the general ethos of that has gone more online, people just really want to sit round together and they want to play a game.
“Board games have just stepped in a huge way to fill that void.”
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Behind the scenes, it is opening up opportunities for game designers who have often found their products limited to a specialist audience.
Adam Porter is one of a new wave of designers currently making a name for themselves in the industry, with four games already published and more in development.
“It certainly feels like we’re building something” he said.
“To be at the start of something, you do feel like it’s building.
“I collaborate quite a lot with others around Cardiff who I’ve met over the years in our local design group and some of them are starting to have some success.
“It’s really exciting.”
[“source=bbc”]
