Do you like competing with your friends? Do you like outwitting your opponents with superior strategy? How about just having good, old-fashioned fun? If so, Wahlert may have a new club for you. Boardgame Club is a new weekly club, focused on allowing students to play board, card, and other face-to-face games.

“I was thinking about how I used to love playing board games with my brothers as a kid. Now, it seems like nobody has time anymore to play them. I just wanted to bring back those times,” says Aly Forbes, the founder of the club. She says she started the club as way to bring back the fun of board games with her friends.

Forbes isn’t alone in wanting to rediscover the joy of board games. Currently, the board game industry is experiencing explosive growth in what many publications call the “Board Game Renaissance.” Sales of board and card games continue to increase each year, and hundreds of new games and re-imaginings of classics are released every year. Games like Monopoly, Yahtzee, and Clue, along with newer games, like Settlers of Catan and Ticket to Ride are enjoyed by millions. Party games like Apples to Apples, Telestrations, or the infamous Cards Against Humanity have become staples of many people’s nights with friends.

Part of what may have driven the resurgence in boardgames is technology. While many gamers use it to buy and find new games, many people see boardgames as a way to get away from heavy electronic use. And it seems that this was part of the reason for the new club:

“The main idea  was to get away from screens, and play games like we used to,” says Sra. Nancy Leonard, the supervisor of the club. Board games can help people engage face-to-face in ways that video games or movies can’t necessarily do. They can be competitive, but games can also get you to talk to people in ways you otherwise wouldn’t.

“I like the slight competition, but it’s still a lot of fun. It brings everyone together.” says Forbes. The variety of games also means that there’s always something for everyone, whether you want to try to draw “small horse in a church” with your eyes closed, roll just the right amount of 6’s, or play a 300-hour long simulation of the 1940 campaign for North Africa.

Forbes herself likes, Uno the best.  “Uno is probably my number one. I’m a big fan. You can pretty much take it anywhere. I also like Apples to Apples and Twister. If someone whips out a Twister board, I’m ready.”

The club currently meets in Sra. Leonard’s room every Wednesday, although this may be subject to change. The club is open to all Wahlert students, and participating is as easy as joining the Google Classroom group (code: zjubav) or simply showing up to a meeting.

If laughing and competing with your friends sounds like fun, be sure to listen to announcements for updates on the club, and maybe you’ll get a chance to crush me at the next meeting.