Reading and Board Gaming in the 21st Century
I often get asked how to get kids to sit down and play board games in today’s world. How do I deal with resistance? How do I make board games appealing compared to digital devices? And every time, I’m a little surprised by these questions—because from my perspective, it all feels much simpler.
Written by
Máté Lencse
Educator, game designer,
founder of PlayWise
Why listen to him?
Máté has been regularly playing modern board games and classic abstract board games since 2013. He plays because he loves to. He plays because as an educator, it is his most important motivational and developmental tool. He plays because as a father, it is one of the highest quality times spent with his daughter. He plays because it adds to his marriage. He plays to get to know games and as a game designer, to be able to create new ones. Thus, it's not surprising that he often plays through 15-20 games weekly. Learn more about him and his background on his author page or follow him on social media:
Since I play a lot of board games and read a lot, my child sees this and follows my example. Of course, this isn’t a guarantee for anything. It’s entirely possible that my 8-year-old will grow up to read less and not play board games at all—though I’d be surprised—but since there’s a model for these activities, it’s easy to offer them now.
And why does this matter? It’s hard to convince someone that life exists beyond digital devices if we don’t truly believe it ourselves. I have my phone in my hand too, and I spend a lot of time online, but at the same time, I engage in plenty of offline activities with joy, which allows me to represent this lifestyle authentically.
And this authenticity isn’t just important as a parent—it’s crucial as a teacher too. When I taught methodology at university, one of the key points I emphasized was that choosing the right approach isn’t just about the students and the subject matter—it’s also about choosing methods that align with ourselves.
Modern, effective pedagogy is child-centered, but it’s equally important that what we say and do resonates with us as well. So if we want children to read and play board games, it’s not enough to simply ask them, persuade them, or try to force them into it.
A key concept in pedagogy is the learning environment. What kind of atmosphere do we create? What objects surround the child? How are we present in that space?
Both at home and in every educational setting I’ve had the privilege to shape, books and board games have always been abundant. And these aren’t just decorations—they regularly come off the shelves and become a natural part of life.
Making something happen organically is far more effective than forcing children into it.
Board Games
I honestly expected that by 2025, whether people still play board games would no longer be a topic of discussion. David Sax’s 2016 book, The Revenge of Analog: Real Things and Why They Matter, already explored this subject, particularly through the growing popularity of board game cafés.
So we’ve been talking about the golden age of board gaming for quite a while now, yet the question remains just as relevant: How do I get my child to sit down and play a board game instead of using digital devices?
Classroom Snapshot
The challenge I can easily identify is that those who struggle to get children to play board games often lack familiarity with the world of modern board games. Starting with Monopoly, Snakes and Ladders, or even chess might not be the best idea. The reason we talk about a golden age of board gaming is that year after year, a vast number of modern games are released. Their target audience? Today's people. Us. And our kids.
By exploring this immense selection, I firmly believe it’s impossible not to find a game—or games—that your child would enjoy. I’ve never met children who couldn’t be engaged in board games.
But here’s the catch: this doesn’t mean everyone will fall in love with them. I’ve certainly met children who didn’t become board game enthusiasts, but even they were happy to play occasionally. Long-term rejection? That’s something I’ve only encountered in isolated cases.
