WHY I LOVE GAMES: RACHEL EADE, FOUNDER OF OUTSIDE THE BOX

"Growing up, board games meant family time. Board games meant there was always something to do. I never felt bored."

When I was a child, we used to go to Cornwall on holiday every year. My dad’s cousins lived there and the highlight of the trip would be to gather round and play Monopoly in the evenings. Being transported to Old Kent Road and Park Lane was just a magical as building sandcastles at the seaside. Plus, I was spending time with the adults – I felt very grown up!

I loved playing cards with my uncles and aunties at our regular family gatherings. My sister and I played countless games of Monopoly, Cluedo, Game of Life and Wembley at home. Our mum and brother would join us for Yahtzee.

Growing up, board games meant family time. Board games meant there was always something to do. I never felt bored.

I fell more deeply in love with board games in 2016 when I went to visit the Dice Cup in Nottingham. This was the first board game café that I encountered. Oh my word! It was an Aladdin’s Cave of all sorts of weird and wonderful games that I had never heard of. Luckily one of their boardgame gurus helped us choose a game to play and even taught us all the rules – the game was called Pandemic. We soon returned to learn more games.

Since then, the hobby of buying and playing board games has snowballed for me. I love to share the joy of learning a new game with others. I love to see how happy my nieces and nephews get when they play a good card. I love the giggles and the banter when playing games with my family on Christmas Day. I love how my friends’ eyes light up when I teach them a modern board game that they had never known existed. 

I love everything about tabletop games. I love that my grandma plays Mexican Train at her church community café and it’s the highlight of her week. I love that there are loads of board game groups springing up all around the country. I love that the hobby is particularly welcoming to groups of people that often feel excluded. I love that puzzles and games may help to slow the progress of dementia. Most of all, I love the pure escapism of exploring a new world, playing a character or completing a quest. 

I hope that Outside The Box brings the joy of board games to you all!