Club Spotlight: The Board Game Club.

College can be difficult, and while schoolwork is a priority in college, it often stresses students out the most. Most students will inevitably feel stress and burnout to a large degree at some point in their college career. So what is the key to not allowing stress to shut you down at college?

Rest. But rest doesn’t just mean getting enough sleep, it also means spending time doing things that you enjoy to give your body and mind a break from constant schoolwork. My freshman year I felt like I had unlimited time to do things apart from schoolwork, but in the years since, I have found it decidedly more difficult to take a break. One of the best ways I have found to give my mind a break and enjoy time with others is to play games. From Uno to Settlers of Catan to Werewolf, board games and card games allow me to spend time with friends while also giving my mind the break it needs from mindless paper-writing and homework assignments. However, there arrives a major problem when trying to play games with friends in college: people are busy. It is hectic to organize a group of people with different schedules together to simply play a game or two in the evening. It is very hard for a majority of college students to be spontaneous, especially deep into the semester. Even when people find time to play some games, it is never enough time or preparation to play anything more elaborate or worthwhile than little card or party games. 

There is a solution! A brand new club has been formed this semester out of the ashes of an older one. The Board Game club will be planning to meet every Thursday at 6:30 PM to simply come together to play some games. By having a set time, students can make plans to attend, and folks can play more substantial games. By 6:30, most people will be done with classes for the day and will have eaten dinner. The Board Game Club has not decided on a meeting location yet, but it will be close to the dining commons for convenience. The most significant characteristic of this club is that it is low-commitment. Noone has to come every Thursday; students can simply stop by if they feel they have time and want to play for a bit. The club has no strict end time so students can leave as early as they want to to go get sleep or do schoolwork. Essentially, the Board Game Club offers students a time and space to get away from the stress of college. The Board Game Club is not an Eastern University sponsored club yet as this is our first semester, but if you or a friend are interested in the Board Game Club, you can email me at brian.lines@eastern.edu. Let’s break the cycle of stress with some fun!