Public board gaming in the post-pandemic UK: ambiences and audiences

This paper presents a work in progress on an ethnographic study of public board gaming in the post-pandemic UK (2021-2023). Drawing on my previous research experience in the sociology of space, place and consumption, I am exploring how public board gaming spaces, including both specialised venues (board game cafes, bars and shops, exhibition halls) and non-specialised ones (pubs, cafes, community centres, libraries), are produced, perceived and experienced by proprietors, meetup organisers, gamers, designers, and the media. By analysing the intricate relationship between physical environment and social interaction and exploring the role of geographic location, type of space, its layout, lighting, furniture, music and food in shaping gaming audiences and their social and sensory experiences, I am looking to situate public board gaming spaces in their local cultural-geographic contexts and examine their potential in popularising the hobby and building communities at a time of social isolation. I will discuss the emerging findings from the ongoing ethnographic observations and qualitative interviews conducted in urban and rural areas across the UK, focusing on the following four dialectics of public board gaming: 1) social versus spatial factors; 2) commercial versus non-commercial spaces; 3) casual/light versus serious/heavy gaming; and 4) social inclusion versus social exclusion.