For Kimberly Tai, a second-year data science and business administration combined major, nothing sounds better than a fun night spent playing board games with friends after a stressful week of exams and assignments.
The activity offers a welcome escape from academics and a chance to relax and reconnect.
“I think that kind of social space is really nice to have, especially where I can just go at the end of the week, play some games — not have to think about school,” Tai said.
This is a shared sentiment among students who have turned to board games in an effort to cope with academic pressures. The Northeastern University Association of Gaming Enthusiasts, or NUAGE, has been at the forefront of this board game craze, creating a space for students to connect.
NUAGE meets from 7 p.m. to midnight every Friday and Saturday in the Forsyth Building and usually has around 30 to 40 people in attendance. Despite the current popularity of online gaming, club members take the time to meet face-to-face at least once a week to socialize and relax.
“You have this safe space where you don’t have to worry about the things that are happening outside of life,” said Timothy Blank, assistant dean of student experience for the College of Arts, Media and Design, or CAMD. “That can be stress relief because for even just an hour, a few hours, you get to sit down and not have to worry about the stress of things that are happening everywhere.”
In preparation for meetings, NUAGE’s executive board often arrives early to set up club favorites like “Slay the Spire: The Board Game,” “Spirit Island” and “Daybreak,” as well as newer additions —–like “Fromage” and “Blood on the Clocktower” — based on member requests.
When deciding which games to purchase, all NUAGE members are free to provide their suggestions, with most members usually recommending games they have played before. The club even organizes occasional theme nights and rents out games accordingly, such as only playing games with circles in them like “Qwirkle” during circle-themed nights. The club owns classics like “Coup,” a social deduction card game, and also features lesser-known titles, like the card games “Letter Jam” and “Anomia.”
“I’ve never really liked board games, but it’s actually really fun because we’re not playing basic board games like ‘Monopoly’ or ‘Jenga,’” said Beverly Cutty, a first-year political science and philosophy combined major. “They have normal ones, but they also have a lot of really unique ones. I played a cheese board game the other week and it was really funny.”
In an age where video games run rampant, in-person board games possess unique qualities that allow for stress relief. For many, the most rewarding aspect is the social interaction they encourage. Unlike video games, which often separate players behind screens, board games require face-to-face engagement and foster deep connections.
“A lot of the times when I go, it’s because I’m either stressed or I finally have a break,” Cutty said. “I get to meet a bunch of people that share this unique common interest, especially with ‘Blood on the Clocktower,’ because that’s a game that usually takes 12 people. Part of the game is social strategy, so you have to talk to people.”
The diverse range of games available at NUAGE exposes members to different people who they normally would not interact with. This dynamic gives players the opportunity to bond over their shared experiences, forming meaningful relationships that are a major factor in destressing.
“There’s a bunch of people who I definitely would have never met outside of NUAGE that are my friends now and they’re really cool,” said Tai, who is the club’s treasurer. “You keep consistently seeing the same people and then you start developing inside jokes based on the games you played previously. I think it’s helped me a lot in freshman year getting my first start with consistent friends.”
The face-to-face nature of board games — where players read each other’s reactions and body language in real-time — enhances the experience. Izabella Pivo, a fourth-year business administration and communication studies combined major, finds the stimulating nature of board games engaging. While not a member of NUAGE, she regularly hosts board game nights with her friends in her residence hall.
“I think we just like the complexity of board games,” said Pivo, who loves to play “Dominion,” a strategic deck-building card game. “You get to see each other react in many different ways, and that’s only really being able to be shown through their little micro-expressions in person.”
Beyond social connection, board games also serve as an immersive escape. They have the unique ability to create a distinct environment where players can both mentally and physically step away from daily stressors.
“Unlike when you play video games where a lot of times, you’re looking at the same screen, board games are very different,” said Mark Sivak, a teaching professor at both CAMD and the College of Engineering who also serves as NUAGE’s faculty advisor. “You’re going to a different location, you’re taking items out a box — so you’re not usually using your phone — and you’re kind of allowing yourself to escape into a world, or at least into a game, for a set amount of time.”
Blank, who has an extensive background playing and designing board games, describes this integration as a form of stress relief. He designed three commercially published games and is currently an organizer for the Game Makers Guild, a group of in-person board game play testers who test and share board game prototypes with local game designers.
“With board games, we have something called the magic circle,” Blank said. “It basically says there are rules to how you interact with each other [or] with the game that do not exist outside of that game. These rules kind of take you out of reality and put you into this game, and that’s where I think a lot of stress relief can come in for students.”
Blank, who was previously a therapist for four years, also spoke about the psychological benefits of board games.
“That is a real form of therapy,” Blank said. “Using things that get you out of situations that are stressful, even if it’s just temporary, can lower blood pressure, heart rate — especially because games are done with a playful mindset usually, so they’re intended to be fun as opposed to leaving and going into another stressful situation. You’re leaving and coming into a situation that’s supposed to be fun.”
