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Gamers go back to drawing board for fun
A fledgling club has brought the competition and camaraderie of a new breed of board game-playing to the University of the Sunshine Coast campus.
The USC Boardgamers group holds fortnightly Sunday meetings at the Uni Club, where students and members of the public test each other’s skills in modern Eurogames, other games of strategy and card games.
While people are welcome to bring perennials like Monopoly, many of the 15 to 20 regulars so far are computer games fans eager to try the latest in “traditional technology” in a social setting, and introduce beginners to the fun.
USC PhD student Colleen Stieler-Hunt, 37, of Buderim, who joined the club when it was based at Buderim in 2009, said Eurogames such as Ticket to Ride had surged in popularity among fans of information technology worldwide.
“The Wall Street Journal published an article and video on how another game, called Settlers of Catan, was the ‘new golf’ in Silicon Valley,” Colleen said.
Based on strategy more often than luck, the games still use central boards or maps, movable pieces and sometimes dice but may revolve around building a train route, a city or a whole new civilisation.
“I’m not a hardcore gamer but there’s lots for me to enjoy at this club,” said Colleen, an ex-high school teacher and educational computer game specialist.
“I like seeing clever game mechanics that I can try to apply in computer game prototypes too. It works different parts of your brain and it’s fun.”
Colleen’s PhD is examining how computer games can be used in classrooms and she is working on designing a child safety game called Feeling Safe.
Fellow PhD student Ben Rolfe, 34, of Sippy Downs, is a longtime fan of Eurogames as well as a computer gamer who enjoys the social environment on campus.
Ben’s research is investigating the emotions of people while they are playing computer games.
“I’m looking at changes in physiology, such as sweating, and brain signals to understand how they’re feeling as the game progresses,” he said.
“A finding that’s surprised me so far is that some people who play Tetris seem to feel worse after they finish the game!”
The club is keen for more students and people of all ages to join its Sunday meetings from 1pm to 5pm to learn something new and meet new friends.
For details email info@theboardgamers.org
– Julie Gatehouse