To:
From:
Date:
Subject:
sust.ctee@humber.ca
Random.Student@humber.ca
10 November 2020
PROPOSED SUSTAINABILITY INITIATIVE AT LINX LOUNGE
LINX LOUNGE AS BOARD GAME CAFÉ
I propose that LinX Lounge introduce board games to attract students and support
playful social interaction.
Background
From 2000-2017, LinX , the bar at the North campus of Humber College, has been
“providing the community of Humber College a safe space to enjoy” (LinXLounge, n.d).
It has been used as a lounge with a pool table and two TVs and served students
Smoke’s Poutinerie as well as alcohol. LinX is popular with the students, rating 3.8/5
stars on FB and comments such as “Linx is the best place to chill and meet new people
#LinXLounge” (2015).
Problem
In September 2017 the bar manager resigned. At the same time, director of campus
services, Paul Iskander, noted that alcohol sales have been declining because the
clientele is underage. In fall of 2017, the management of LinX was wondering how to
best redesign the bar to make it a more social space: “We want it to be more of a
hangout place to have fun. We are planning on building more arcades games, bringing
in a talent night, or even a movie night,” he said. The ex-bar would remain a social
space but it would have to be enhanced to attract more students for social reasons
(Wright & Owczarz, 2017).
Best Practices
According to the New York Times, board games have become very popular and Toronto
is famous for its board game cafes. People come from around the world to find out how
to successfully set up boardroom cafes in countries such as England and Thailand. The
successful boardroom café such as Snakes and Lattes or Castle Board Game provide
their customers with comfortable seating, beverages and sometimes food, and many
types of board games to choose from (Freehill-Maye, 2016).
The owners of Snakes and Lattes stock 1000 games. The games are divided into
categories like Party, Strategy, Trivia and Classic Americana. The idea is that
customers try out unfamiliar games besides enjoying familiar ones (Freehill-Maye,
2016). Guelph’s Boardroom, another café, once a campus pub, stocks 500 games and
staff are on hand to teach players new games (The Boardroom, 2018).
Evaluation and Rationale
We propose integrating a board game café component into LinX to engage students in
friendly, both competitive and cooperative social interaction. In this way, students will
reinforce bonds with their friends and meet new people.
Types of Board Games
Some research underlines the distinction between cooperative and competitive board
games. Traditional board games like Monopoly are competitive, with clear winners and
losers. On the other hand, “Cooperative games” demand that players work together to
solve a challenge (Fracchia, 2018). One of the most popular cooperative games is
Pandemic in which players win or lose as team members. According to game
psychologist Fernand Robet (2017), games enhance social interaction. He notes that
board games are popular across cultures and played by families (cited in Jolin, 2017).
Similarly, a board game café would strengthen social bonds among students who are
familiar with certain games.
Effects of Board Games on Players
Board games structure social interaction in a really safe and helpful way. Mary
Flanagan, who is a media researcher and founder of a game research lab, argues that
in times of digital interaction, board games help players talk to each other more
comfortably: “Face-to-face conversation is getting weirder and weirder,” Flanagan says.
“Board games help us get along and communicate” (cited in Schank, 2014).
Consequently, a board game café would promote comfortable cooperative interaction
over a common goal and allow students to meet new students over a fun strategic
activity. Students come from many programs, but since most students are familiar with
some kind of video game or game app, they understand the rules of gaming (Jolin,
2018). Thus, students can draw on a common understanding and language to relate
with others they meet over a table game.
Conclusion
Finally, student lounges typically have permanent features like sofas, tables, TVs, or a
billiard table that students can use all the time. They also hold occasional special events
like themed parties for various official and student holidays. The novelty of adding board
games would raise the lounge above these common features.
Board games could be considered a type of constant ongoing event at LinX because
each game would be a different and separate occasion for different students to
cooperate. Unlike watching TV or playing mobile games alone on the coach, board
games would be an invitation to various students to create a buzz around dynamic,
ongoing student social interaction.
References
About. (2018) The Boardroom Guelph. Retrieved from
http://www.theboardroomguelph.ca/about. html
Fracchia,A. (2018, May). The 7 best cooperative games to buy in 2018: Fun
games that focus on teamwork. The Spruce. Retrieved from
https://www.thespruce.com/best- cooperative-games-4164635
Freehill-Maye, L. (2016, January). In Toronto cafes, board games rule. Retrieved
from https://www.nytimes.com/2016/01/31/travel/toronto-cafes-board-games.html
Jolin, D. (2016, September) The rise and rise of tabletop gaming. The Guardian.
Retrieved from https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/sep/25/
board- games-back-tabletop-gaming-boom-pandemic-flash-point
Linx Lounge. (n.d.) Retrieved from http://linxlounge.ca/
Schank H. (2016, November) How board games conquered cafes. The Atlantic.
Retrieved from https://www.theatlantic.com/entertainment/archive/2014/
11/board-game-Bars/382828/
Wright, K. & Owczarz, M. (2017, September). Staffing issues leaves Linx Lounge
dry.Humber Etcetera. Retrieved from http://humberetc.com/staffing-issueleaves-linx-lounge-dry/