A CLUB set up to tap into the growing interest in board games has proved so popular it is expanding to meet demand.
The Unplugged Games Club brings gamers together to play a variety of board and card games. Founded just over a year ago, its attendance has grown to the point where organisers have decided to hold a second monthly gathering.
The club currently meets at the Govanhill Baths on Calder Street on the second Sunday of every month. The new session will take place at the Norval Coffee Company in Shawlands on the last Sunday of the month.
Co-founder Owen Duffy, 29, said: "Board games have been getting really big over the past couple of years.
"A lot of folks have only really played games like Monopoly or Cluedo, and that can be a bit off-putting because those games frankly aren't all that good.
"But there are loads of really fun, innovative games coming out from independent designers and once people try them they tend to change their opinion.
A popular game at the club is Machi Koro, a simple 15-minute card game about building a city from a range of different buildings. Some gamers spend up to six hours playing A Game of Thrones, a complex, strategic board game involving negotiation.
Mr Duffy's wife, Andrea, 29, is the club's co-founder. She said: "People spend a lot of time looking at screens, whether that's a computer, a TV, a games console or an iPad, but there's something really nice about sitting down with your friends and playing a game together face-to-face.
"You can have a laugh, have a conversation, that's something you can't get from your smartphone. We get whole families coming along and playing together."
The Unplugged Club is one of several popping up around the country as interest in board gaming increases.
Mr Duffy said there were several reasons for the growth in popularity.
"Part of it, ironically, is the internet," he said. "A lot of these games have smartphone and tablet app versions, and when people play those they want to go out and try the real thing.
"But ultimately what makes it so entertaining is the games themselves. There are so many awesome games, and it's a shame more people don't know about them. But hopefully we're changing that one player at a time."
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