Hello fellow gamers! I hope that life has been treating you well. Today, let’s talk about something near and dear to my heart in regards to the board gaming world. Friends. When I married Number One, I moved to a town in Northern Michigan. If you guessed that it was Traverse City, then bonus points for you! I didn’t know anyone outside of my husband and his family. As a stay at home parent who doesn’t drive in the snow and ice that sometimes happens in the winter time up here, it can be difficult to get out and meet new people. And during the summer time we have an influx of out of town people on vacation and looking to sample the local fudge. That can make meeting new people a little more difficult than it would be under normal circumstances. This is where playing board games made a difference for me.
You’ve heard me say before that board games are a social event for me. Our weekly meet ups give me a chance to visit and interact with other adults outside of the adults in my family. While I was hesitant at first because new situations and new people can be overwhelming and uncomfortable, I’ve found a fast group of friends in my local board gamers. It can be hard to break into an established group, but it is worth it. If you attend often enough, you’ll be assimilated into the group. Resistance is futile.
I would even go so far as to say that some of my local board gamers have become like family. I know that I can call them if I need some help. Sometimes it can be difficult to go to larger events where I know that many of the board gamers will be because our babysitter is part of the group. That can take some coordinating sometime. I’ve been able to message a fellow group member when I was in a panic about something and she was able to give me some insight that allowed me to calm down enough to get to sleep that night. My kids met their favorite librarian because of the TCBG!
While I’d like to say that this family mentality is special to our group, I’m sure that other board game groups feel the same way about their members. So, if you happen to be on the search for some friends, check out your local board game group. They just might have what you are looking for!