Kids to create board games based on the city to mark Madras Day

The best thing about board games is that it brings people together and everyone who was a kid in the 1990s has fond memories of it. Today, when people are busy chasing Pokemons or are glued to their X-boxes, the concept of sitting across a game of Scrabble, thinking fiercely of a word to beat all others might seem obsessive and a waste of time perhaps. 

Now, however, kids will have a chance to explore board games in a new light, they will be taught to create their own game. A work shop, titled, ‘Make a Madras Game’, hosted by Bambaram Toy Library, Yocee & The Learning community at Quest, will teach participants the nuances of board games and help them create one of their own with Madras as the theme. 

“Yes, there is a shift in trend, but it’s not that kids are not interested in board games. We start by dissecting some of the popular games, like Monopoly or Scrabble. By doing so, we teach them about what goes into creating these games and the architecture behind it,” says Santhosh Kr Subramanian, one of the organisers. He points out that board games are more than merely entertainment; they help children develop inter-personal skills. 

“We have had similar events in the past where children give their own twist to popular games. For instance, during a previous workshop, someone took the zoo as a theme and integrated it with Monopoly so that the kids had to manage the zoo, buy animals and still make a profit. Students of classes 6 and 7 conceptualised this,” he adds. 

The event, to be organised on August 20 at Palavakkam, will have 10 teams, creating their own board games. “There is so much to the city, and kids will get to learn about different facets of it while researching to create them. This will also bring out their creativity. We have had kids who have created 3-D games in the past. Madras, as a theme, is vast and we are expecting some great ideas.”