These Columbia bars and cafes are bringing back the board game

Old-school gaming is on the rise at Columbia bars and cafes, where patrons are turning their attention more to board games and each other than their phone screens.

At Random Tap in Northeast Richland, games like Apples to Apples, Cards Against Humanity and Trivial Pursuit are regularly taken out and enjoyed with a beer. There’s a group that meets weekly to play Risk Legacy, a version of the classic war game where scores are kept on an ongoing basis. And when the weather is nice, the crash from a toppling giant Jenga set can be heard from the patio.

“I think the whole concept of craft beer is very social. It’s for people who want to come in and enjoy the flavor of a beer and drink it slowly. And what’s more social than a board game? They go well together,” owner Kimberly Gagliardi said.

Swamp Cabbage Brewing Company is taking the gaming concept a step further by offering Random Board Game Olympics on Tuesday, March 21. The event is part of Soda City Suds Week and will feature a mix of new and classic games, in addition to the brewery’s homemade Dutch Shuffleboard set. (It’s addicting.) Winners will take home gift certificates and Swamp Cabbage swag.

“It gives people something to do other than sit around texting all night,” co-owner Doug Boyd said. “We don’t have a typical bar setting, so for us it’s a way to get people to interact and have fun.”

Sales of board games have been on the rise for years as an analog and tactile escape from an increasingly digital world. If you’re looking for an incentive to put down the smartphone and pick up a game, here are some places you can do it:

Bars/Breweries

Casual Pint – Home to Sunday Pints and Puzzles, where teams race to complete a puzzle and win a prize.

Craft and Draft – There is a handful of games, but not much table space, so you don’t see too many people playing them.

Conquest – The brewery breaks out the giant Jenga and giant Connect Four when the weather is nice.

Keg Cowboy – There’s a smattering of games, including Scrabble, Life, Jenga and Apples to Apples.

Swamp Cabbage – Plenty of outdoor picnic tables to spread out on, as well as a grassy area for cornhole and giant checkers.

Random Tap – Tons of board games to choose from, ranging from simple picks like Connect Four to brain-busting trivia.

Cafes

Cool Beans – Upstairs, the coffee shop has a bookshelf full of games – Clue, Boggle, Balderdash, Cranium, Catchphrase and more. Cool Beans is open until midnight, so the games are ideal for students needing a late-night study break.

The Local Buzz – Around 50 different games. The cafe stays open until 8 p.m. for Game Nights on the first Friday, second Saturday, third Thursday and fourth Friday of every month. Parcheesi and Candy Land are popular.

“It’s very old school in here and I like that,” owner Stephanie Bridgers said.

Related: Bottoms up: Northeast Richland’s Random Tap

This story was originally published March 15, 2017 at 11:02 AM with the headline "These Columbia bars and cafes are bringing back the board game."