A lot of people familiar with the world of “Designer Boardgames” will tell you how it’s becoming more mainstream.  The opening of more and more and more boardgame cafés and features on the BBC are often cited as example of modern boardgames making it into the public conciousness.  The latest example is the “Board Games” section in the “Life & Style” magazine of The Guardian.

So far they have published articles discussing Ticket to Ride and its effect on boardgaming; commenting on boardgames in society; debating the relationship between computer games and the growth of boardgames, and most recently, an interview with Wil Wheaton, actor, producer and presenter of TableTop, the online boardgame show, now in its third series.  Its not so much the content of the articles (though it is clear that these have been written by someone with an interest or who has done their research), it is the fact that that playing games is no longer something to be shy about:  being “a bit geeky” is no longer something to be ashamed of.

And that has to be a good thing.