On a Wednesday afternoon, Board Games Hub at Saibaba Colony, is near-vacant. Its founder, Prakash Nagalingam, and his staff are engrossed in a game as we enter. One of the best things about running a board games cafe is that your work entails playing board games on a midweek day. Going by the empty tables, it is fair to say not many share the same fortune.
Prakash interrupts his game to talk about his six-month-old venture and boyish excitement for board games. We choose a four-seater wooden table that faces a painted wall with board game elements like coins and characters and the words ‘Game On’ in the middle.
Hailing from Tiruppur, it hardly surprises us to know Prakash got into textile export. But how did this textile businessman set up a board games cafe in Coimbatore?
“Board games is more than a business; it is passion,” he says. His mother introduced them to him during his boyhood years — between mid-80s and early 90s. “By seven, I already owned around 15-20 board games. They were my primary source of entertainment as it was still early days of TV and no internet, too,” he says. He recalls summer vacations spent playing games like Business, dhaayam (dice), and Scotland Yard with his cousins, aunts, and mom. “Sometimes we’d be up until 3 am playing them.”
Board games became a tradition during family gatherings. But after school, education took precedence. There was a bit of a hiatus. Then, while working in Chennai, Prakash and his family rediscovered their passion for board games through The Board Room, a board games cafe in Mylapore and Anna Nagar. “We were excited by the diverse collection of games. We’d spend hours there with family, including my five-year-old.”
He wanted to drag his friends into it as well. “They reluctantly agreed to come for half an hour and ended up being there for four hours!” he says, chuckling. That’s when his friends asked him to start his own board games cafe. Prakash’s textile business, at that point, was stagnating. So, he thought he would give it a shot. “The Board Room was an inspiration,” he adds.
He opened Board Games Hub in Coimbatore in May this year. Why Coimbatore and not Chennai or Tiruppur — the places he has lived?
“Chennai already had The Board Room and other board games cafes. And, Tiruppur, I thought the market was not there for it yet. Coimbatore has an influx of young, working population. It isn’t far from Tiruppur.”
The decision to monetise his passion has paid off. “I thought I wouldn’t get any crowd for the first six months. But it’s much better than I expected. I get a footfall of 120 every week — over half of that on the weekends. We also get bulk bookings like birthday parties, office team events, and kitty parties.”
Board Games Hub has a collection of over 350 games catering to different kinds of players. The popular ones include Splendor, Azul, Catan, Century: Spice Road, and Ghost Blitz. Depending on the group’s size, and the type of games they want to play, Prakash or his team will recommend a game.
“Initially, we focused on fun and icebreaker games, then moved on to strategy-based and stacking games. The goal is to guide players from fun games to more complex ones,” he says, “Some of our promotions aim to introduce players to strategy games because they give you the true gaming experience. There was an instance when a group of four stayed up till 2am, playing a strategy game called Wingspan. More than selling games, we want to build a community of board game enthusiasts.”
Board Games Hub offers food, too. But nothing fancy. The usual Indian cafe regulars like fries, sandwiches, noodles, pasta, and shakes. “We wanted the emphasis to be on the games. There are close to 50 cafes in this area alone. So, we didn’t want to get into that competition. Plus, adding gravies or curry-based things adds to the risk of the games getting dirty or damaged,” explains Prakash.
We ask him why one should play board games. He answers, “Board games are a journey to a completely different world, where you immerse yourself without thinking about anything else. Books do that, too. But you go into it alone. Here, you go with other people.”
“In today’s digital age, we are all addicted to screens. My 10-year-old was, too. But after I introduced board games, he was more keen on playing with us. It helps improve social interactions, which is essential not just for kids but for adults, too. In fact, 65% of my customers are adults. I think it’s high time we took a break from our phones and our daily stress.”
Board Games Hub is at Saibaba Colony, Coimbatore. Check them on Instagram at boardgameshub.
