What do we learn from board games during a pandemic? (S03 E02)

Feature Guest: Jonathan Kay, a Toronto-based editor and podcaster for Quillette, a National Post columnist, and a book author. In 2019, he published "Your Move: What Board Games Teach Us about Life," co-authored with Joan Moriarity.

Board games are seeing a surge in popularity as the disruptions of COVID-19 drag on far longer than any of us would like. Games, dice, cards, tokens, and cardboard counters are filling dining room tables (and other tables) as we pass the time with the few people we’re actually able to see amidst pandemic restrictions – usually our family. Still, others are turning to online board game sites to connect with their typical board gaming community. Not a board game fan? Don’t knock it ‘til you’ve tried it says The Long Way’s feature guest, Jonathan Kay.

“One thing I don’t like to hear is families will say, ‘Oh, we don’t like board games because we tried this board game and we didn’t like it,’” Kay tells The Long Way host Daniel Proussalidis. “That’s like me saying, ‘Oh, I don’t like sports because I tried tetherball and it was no good.’”

Also in this podcast episode, you’ll hear from our field reporter Peter Stockland who has a word-play and game-play-filled conversation with Ray Pennings, executive vice-president of think tank Cardus, about his experience in the world of games.

Listen to the whole episode and you’ll hear how board gaming relates to some significant things in all of our lives, including family, social networks, and education. And if you’re looking to learn about some of the games mentioned in this episode, here they are. Please, note, this list is for information purposes only and is not an endorsement of any particular game. Neither Cardus nor The Long Way has any financial interest or benefit from any of the products mentioned:

Diplomacy

Here I Stand

Pan Am

Pandemic

Paths of Glory

Pax Renaissance

Robo Rally

Roll for the Galaxy

Twilight Struggle

And don’t forget to like, comment, and subscribe to The Long Way. Thanks for listening!

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