As you can see by looking at the table, while there is some variation in all the answers, there is nothing at this level that says there are significant differences between how different ages or different gender identities answered this question. The biggest difference lay in the “Learning the Rules” category, where age and gender identity reflect minor differences. In terms of age, the 55–74 demographic averaged 3.46 while the 25–34 demographic averaged 2.87. I suspect this has to do with the fact that 25–34 year-olds may not have as much time generally to learn and play games. And men prefer learning the rules (avg: 3.14) more than women do (2.54), although again this isn’t a huge difference.

Throughout it all, perhaps nothing illustrates why people like to play games than the entwined connections that this question illustrates. “Winning” is actually relatively unimportant to many game players; but completing the game is important. We like to work with others in order to complete a task, whether or not we’re cooperating or competing. I think that says something really nice about the human condition: Playing with others is the most enjoyable aspect, but beating them is not. Game art and table presence is crucial, and flavor text is enjoyed, but relying on luck to get through the game is disliked. We like to be challenged, we appreciate the care and attention that goes into the things we like, and we like to be responsible for our own decisions. I wonder if this same survey was given to players of video games (where there is often not as much face-to-face contact and the game controls a lot more of the action), if the numbers would be skewed differently.

Final thoughts

Board gaming is obviously a massive hobby, and board gamers are an effusive group of people. There is a mountain of data left to sift through, and it only keeps growing: almost 500 people responded that they’d be interested in a follow-up to this survey, and at the end of May I sent an additional few questions to those people to further deepen the research in terms of diversity and inclusion. If nothing else, this survey has indicated that there is a great deal of interest in finding out more about this hobby and the people that are part of it. In the following weeks I’ll be parsing the qualitative data as well.

The results of this survey highlight a number of things. First, the demographics of board gamers (at least the ones who filled out this survey) are skewed heavily white and male. I am not surprised by this, having attended conventions and events and seeing the makeup of the others who attended. Greater care needs to be placed on making board gaming a more inviting space for people of color and women (as well as other less-present voices, like queer and trans people). One of the purposes of my book is to present some avenues for how we might do this, like engaging with the industry on creating more diverse representations in games, or working with local groups to reach out to marginalized people.

Second, and along with the first, gaming for most of the people who took this survey, is about socialization – and not just socialization with people that you already know. Many people use board games to meet other people, to find friends, to seek out new relationships. We like to play games with people we know, of course, but we also enjoy finding new people through the hobby. Perhaps because board gaming is a relatively non-mainstream hobby (although it is growing!), board gamers feel gregarious with others who enjoy it—like, finding someone who is into this niche thing that you’re also into bonds us. (And that being said, there’s still a sizable population of board gamers who enjoy playing solo too.)

Third, just because the demographics argue one type of identity, doesn’t mean that all board gamers are the same. There is an incredible diversity of interests and passions within the hobby. But overall, more people agree on favorites than disagree: what I mean is, just in terms of numbers, fewer people said that things in the board game field were less favored to them. Board gamers tend to think more things are fun and enjoyable and fewer things are not fun or unenjoyable.

Fourth, many of the lessons that board games teach us can be applied to other aspects of our lives. For example, the survey found that simply reading the rules of a game may help some people learn the game, but most people tend to learn interactively, either by watching videos, learning with other people, or being taught by someone. Putting this into practice, we can apply this form of learning to our classrooms or work places, where instead of handing a student a textbook, we can design strategies where learning takes place within groups. Of note, this is not a new idea: many people have been focused on using games and ludic elements in education for years. The survey supports this work.

Finally, as the board game industry continues to grow, and more and more games flood the market, there is going to be a very real problem of how to make new games different from what’s come before. While worker placement might be the most popular mechanic, game creators are always trying to come up with new ways of exploring familiar mechanisms. Players seem to want innovative new mechanics, themes, and elements; one might think that integrating digital apps may be one way to go, but many people don’t particularly like them.

At the same time, this survey also reveals a number of absences that should be filled in. As mentioned, the vast majority of people who filled out the survey reported being white and male – yet, there is a sizable population of women and People of Color in the board game hobby. Much more data needs to be collected to ensure a diversity of viewpoints from all corners of the community. What are the unique challenges of the Black gamer? Or the Queer gamer? Or the Trans gamer? My survey didn’t seem to reach many in those populations, and a more targeted approach in the future would be worthwhile.

In this report, I’ve presented the data just as is, and tried to offer only a little commentary on what it means. The purpose here is just to share the preliminary results; as I mentioned, it will be a few months before I’ve been able to sift through everything and get a sense of how to put it all together in meaningful ways. But I hope that seeing the hobby abstracted in this way, and noting the connections between what the survey shows and your own experiences, helps to frame board gaming as a more universal, more generous, and more engaging hobby. (Again, if you’re interested in being notified when the book comes out, you can leave your email address here.)