Coming out of the geek cellar: the un-domestication of board gaming

The practice of board gaming, traditionally associated with the domestic sphere, is currently expanding into the public realm of cafes, pubs and other spaces of consumption, leisure and socialising outside the home. Drawing on a multi-site qualitative study of the UK’s social board gaming scene, I examine this phenomenon as a case of un-domestication – a process whereby things and practices are leaving the realm of home and entering the public consumption and leisure scene. I introduce this concept to revisit, invert and expand the notion of domestication, previously applied primarily to the consumption of technology in the home. The chapter explores how board gaming is un-domesticated through a range of material-symbolic, social and discursive mechanisms, and outlines the key effects of this process, from commodification to destigmatisation, widening participation in the hobby, and community building.