Playing at home

Shobita Shivshanker

Each year, just before the onset of summer vacations, Anshu and her chartered accountant husband, Girish Sharma embark on an important errand — to get at least half-a-dozen board games for their 12-year-old son and nine-year-old daughter. All through the holidays, these games keep children busy for hours and help parents keep them indoors. Technology advancement hasn’t really affected the market of traditional games like scrabble, chess and checkers. Or, for that matter even all-pervasive video games played on smartphones and tablets have not been able to send dice-and-dart games into oblivion.

On the platter

Even as dices, figurines and toys get digitised, the market for traditional games is as thriving as it was a decade back. The credit goes to the inventive indoor games and brain-teasers that are being introduced by leading companies like Mattel, Hasbro, Disney, Fisher-Price, Nickelodeon and more.

It is a delight to see families hunkered over a game of scrabble or trading properties on monopoly or making moves on the chessboard. There are newer versions of traditional indoor games that include musical mat, simba squap, blockers, settlers of Catan and many more. Though some cut across generations, there are others which are age-specific. Some test the mind, while others promise entertainment and many take older people back to simpler times. 

A global rage

The global $1,100 million (around Rs 6,600 crore) board-games market is no longer restricted to developing children’s games. Despite the spike in the popularity of new-age video games, gaming apps and on-the-go games on mobiles and tablets, several  leading toys and board-games brands are expanding their domains and aggressively targeting the 20-something niche market of indoor-hobby board games.

However, the actual revolution has come in the field of hi-tech indoor games. From building your own robot to racing cars on an iPad and robotic balls that you can take for a jog or a swim, the market doesn’t cease to amaze. The latest two gizmos seen on shop shelves are a magic-book reader that will read out stories to a kid and a remote-controlled Nano helicopter that can fly for 30 minutes and land on any surface of your choice.

One of the most fascinating indoor games for adults is the virtual golf course that can be set up in the comfort of the home. A number of companies like Opti Golf, Pro Shot, Golden Bear and Pro Swing will put a virtual golf simulator in your home, which offers a choice of teeing off on some the best courses in the world. 

From the moment the player takes the position to put the ball to making a contact with the ball and completing the swing, sensors measure and analyse all movements. The player can actually see the flight of the ball unfold on the screen. Meant for true-blue golf aficionados, it may cost a pile but so would a round at St. Andrews in Scotland or Pebble Beach in California — two of the best-golfing resorts of the world. 

High-end games

Add some style to your game by upgrading to a Gucci or a Prada. Besides haute couture and accessories, the two Italian-luxury houses are also devoting their attention to indoor games. Gucci has launched a high-end version of the checkerboard and Prada has brought out a line of games, ranging from chess to backgammon to checkers. That these come with astronomical price tags is a given because of the labels attached.

With the proliferation of imaginative new-age games that can be played at home or in clubs and parlours, there is a revival of interests in indoor games.  

The family that plays together surely stays together!

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DIY INDOOR GAMES

Though indoor games come in a range of shapes, sizes and prices, there are some that can be created at home. These are fun projects that will keep children and parents occupied for hours. Here’s looking at inventive DIY games.

Make your own playhouse: This is a fun activity for kids and parents. Embark on a project to make an indoor playhouse with cardboard boxes, decorative paper, and some imagination. 

Create a ring toss: This is for those who have visited a fair and have tried their hand at tossing a ring into a bottle from a distance. Now you can make your own ring toss with used plastic bottles and make a ring with a thick rope.

Homemade bowling alley: Use the same used plastic bottles and a lightweight football for a game of nine pins. Place the bottles in the shape of a diamond and ask children to try and topple all of these at one go from a distance.

Cup patterns: Take paper cups and ask children to stack these one on top of the other or in any other pattern they like. Arranging cups imaginatively works well for fine motor skills and helps develop perseverance, patience and concentration skills.

Homemade play dough: Children love to be creative with play dough. Instead of going out and buying an expensive box of gooey stuff, make it at home by kneading flour. Add colours to make the game more interesting.

Posting letters: Make a letterbox with a used cardboard carton and ask the child to write a letter and post it into the box. This will not just help the child improve handwriting, but also teach him or her how to write a letter.