Playing at BogglinGames

Several kinds of games can be found in this cafe

In eastern India, Kolkata, the city of Joy, houses a charming café that serves up fun board games to visitors.

In a digital era of video games and mobile games, we often forget the fun of playing games in a physical space. The engaging mindscape or the general sense of joy that board games bring while seeing our friends, family or strangers get together is truly unique. Though India has had a long traditional connect with board games, cafés and establishments dedicated to the joy of board gaming are hard to find. One such place is the BogglinGames café in Kolkata, that offers the chance of exploring and trying historical Indian games to heavy Euro games.

Opened in August last year, BogglinGames has slowly been gaining ground. Host to several events centered around gaming and themed weeks such as the ongoing Jenga week, this café is truly a unique space. Kirti Rathi Banerjee, the founder of the space shares, “It was a challenging six months to set up and get a crowd coming in. Though we get a large number of children as visitors, this space has been meant to be a place of recreation and clean fun for adults.” As the café is located close to the iconic Kalighat temple in the city, it has also seen several foreign tourists visiting, apart from its regulars.

BogglinGames is a unique cafe that offers the fun of board games

Speaking on the genres and types of games available at the café, Banerjee shared, “We have hundreds of games here. They are all diverse and we have tried to keep numerous styles such as heavy Euro games, American as well as Japanese.” The collection at this café has been picked out thoughtfully, catering to several types of gamers – ranging from those interested in engaging and mentally stimulating games to those looking for light and fun games. Though most people may visit the café in groups if they are looking to participate in tournaments, single participants are welcome as well. As a gathering point for gamers, the monthly meet also sees several people walking in by themselves and interacting with others to form new teams for competitive games.

Exploring the rare

When asked about some of the unique board games available at the café, Banerjee said, “As board games, especially the traditional and European ones, are generally hard to find and expensive, most of them are difficult to access unless one is a serious gamer.” Thus, the café offers the chance to play with and discover what games one may like.

Speaking on the specific games that are special and one could try while they were there, Banerjee said “We have some historical Indian games that have been recreated from their 18th century originals as well as European ones. For example, we have Panch Kone, which is the predecessor of Brain Vita and there is Cavern Tavern.”