The Avenue Café on Lansing’s eastside is known as a hot spot for all things retro, from its pinball competitions to the string lights hanging from the dark, raw ceilings.
But on Tuesday nights, the retro really gets its game on.
Once a week, The Avenue opens its doors to local board game aficionados for Game Night – a gathering that draws as many as 30 regulars and new faces for a friendly round of whatever strikes their fancy.
Gamers haul in duffel bags full of board games, drop them on a table in the center of the room for others to choose from, and then find a table that looks promising.
Robert Ray of Lansing is there every week and picks a game depending on his mood.
“We have one that takes forever to play,” he says. “We can go for hours.”
Driven by websites like
BoardGameGeek, old-fashioned word-of-mouth, and geek-chic exposure on sitcoms like “The Big Bang Theory,” gaming has seen a resurgence in the past several years to a bona fide cult-like cool.
At
Clem’s Comics & Games on Washington Square in Lansing, the games part of the business has increasingly grown over the past several years, says store manager Alec Davis.
One mention on a TV show of a particular game, and he can guarantee that someone will wander in looking for it, he says.
Once they get hooked, they come back for more.
“The relevance of board games has increased as the public perception has increased,” Davis says.
In a time when mobile games like Minecraft and Goat Simulator suck up our brain cells, board gamers say there’s something refreshing about sitting across a table from friends to spend an hour or more on an old-fashioned feat of strategy.
“There is room for all types of gaming in our lives, but what makes playing board games unique is the social aspect,” says Dave Rogers, president of a group called Lansing Board Gamers. “You get to meet new people, sit down with a group and play a friendly or competitive game. Things are not quite as fast paced as other gaming so you can plan out a strategy as you learn a new game. You just don't get that experience tapping on a phone or playing a console.”
Before you drag out your family’s battered box of Life, listen up. We’re not talking about your average Hasbro game.
For these gamers, the more unusual, the better.
“Bringing Monopoly to a game date would definitely raise some eyebrows,” says Rogers, whose group organizes a monthly gaming day at Firehouse Subs in Lansing and an annual gaming conference in Okemos.
“We've been playing games like Lords of Waterdeep, Macao, Galaxy Trucker, Puerto Rico and Scoville. Part of the fun is that new games are hitting the tables every month. It wasn't by design but we have some regulars who really enjoy learning and teaching new games. This works really well because newcomers can just sit down and play.”
Pierce says that’s the other attraction to the weekly gaming events.
That’s part of the draw for Graham Pierce, a Michigan State University employee who has been coming to The Avenue nearly every week for two years.
He and his friends have their favorites, but there is always the promise of finding something new.
“I’ve never seen a game here that I played somewhere else,” he says.
New to gaming?
Davis says gaming newbies often aren’t sure what type of game to try, so he usually directs them to the tried-and-trues – things like Catan or another popular game called Ticket to Ride.
You can also find games that appeal to almost any hobby. Davis often asks about a new customer’s interests or favorite movies to see if a game can math that.
“There’s a game for almost every genre,” he says.
One of Clem’s bestsellers is called Catan – a multi-player game in which players take on the role of settlers on a fictional island. Created 20 years ago, it has since grown to include several spin-offs and expansion kits, as well as modified versions for kids.
He calls it the gateway game.
“Once they see how easy it is to play, they will start to get into more intensive games,” he says.
Join the Game
Clem’s Comics & Games
216 S. Washington Square, Lansing
www.clemslansing.com
Game Night
Where: The Avenue Café, 2021 E. Michigan Ave., Lansing
When: Every Tuesday, 7 p.m.
What to bring: A game of your own, or choose from someone else’s
For more information: www.avenuelansing.com
Lansing Board Gamers
Where: Firehouse Subs, 200 S. Washington Square, Lansing
When: Third Saturday of every month, 1 p.m.
What to bring: A game of your own, or choose from someone else’s
For more information:
http://LansingBoardGamers.com
DaveCon 2015
Mark your calendars now for Lansing Board Gamers annual conference.
When: November 14-15
Where: Okemos Conference Center, 2187 University Park Dr., Okemos
For more information:
http://LansingBoardGamers.com/DaveCon
More details will be available online
Questions? Contact
Dave.Rogers@gmail.com
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Louise Knott Ahern is a freelance writer for Capital Gains.
Photos ©
Dave Trumpie
Dave Trumpie is the managing photographer for Capital Gains. He is a freelance photographer and owner of
Trumpie Photography.