I don’t think I knew what I was getting into with this hobby. At first, it seemed like an interesting way to spend some free time. There’s more here, though. A lot more. It didn’t take long to figure out the biggest pitfalls: FOMO, expense, and loss of shelf space. I expected those. Five years in, though, I am seeing some other side effects. Things I was not expecting. So I decided to do for you what I wish someone had done for me. Provide a warning label.

Top Ten (Unexpected) Board Game Side Effects

10. WARNING: May cause reality bending.

I am never going to climb a mountain, go on an archaeological expedition, or compete in a biathlon. These require skills, education, or money (or some combination thereof) that I just don’t possess. But some games present their theme/topic so well with enough jargon that you feel and talk as though you have actually done that thing. For example, ‘I didn’t apply the brakes early enough and ran off the runway’.
Game: Sky Team. A dice placement game that lands a plane in increasingly challenging airports.

2 Players • Ages 10+ • 20 minutes • $30

9. WARNING: Users have reported feelings of media IP immersion

There are a lot of games based on different IPs from television, movies, and books. Some are new skins on familiar favorites (Clue: Supernatural, anyone?). Others let you prove the thoroughness of your knowledge (i.e. Trivial Pursuit: Lords of the Rings edition). The good ones, though, take a compelling aspect of the IP and combine it with familiar features from the show/movie and make you feel like you are walking alongside your favorite character in a fictional world.
Game: Firefly: the 10th Anniversary edition. Between the use of show characters and the liberal sprinkling of familiar phrases (see the Aim to Misbehave card deck), this game feels like you are scraping by on the ragged edge of the ‘Verse. Just like a certain crew we remember so fondly.

1-10 Players • Ages 13+ • 120-140 minutes • $299

8. WARNING: You may experience delusions of travel

Games are set in nearly every country you can think of. Many, many games include a map. Board gaming can increase your geographical knowledge and make you feel like you are exploring distant locales without ever setting foot on a plane. Well-designed games make you feel like you know how to navigate a region of the world or a foreign city without ever having visited.
Game: Pirate Republic African Gambit. This game, set in the Caribbean, has you navigating the map between Nassau, Bahamas, and the African coast. I spent my first game completely lost. By my third, I knew from the name of the destination that it was too far out of my way.

1-5 Players • Ages 14+ • 120-180 minutes • $89

7. WARNING: Changes in mood are common

I am not overselling it on this one. Sometimes the best thing you can do to pull yourself out of a mood is to break the overthinking spiral. It’s pretty tough to dwell on what your boss said at work today when you are trying to figure out if you can get your tokens onto the action slot you really need in the moves you have left. You can’t stay focused on all the ways something can go wrong if you are laughing your head off at your friend’s single-word celebrity description.
Game: Red Flags. It’s Cards Against Humanity, the dating game edition. Convincing your friend to overlook a red flag (like reciting Titanic lines in their sleep) is an absolute riot, guaranteed to make you forget your worries for a little while.

3-10 Players • Ages 16+ • 15 minutes • $23

6. WARNING: Swelling of your social circle is possible

This one was a surprise to me, especially as a solo gamer. I don’t have a game group or regular meet-ups. As I have explored this hobby in more depth, I have found that the community is more than game groups. In person or online, people are connecting over this hobby. Mentioning even casual play gets gamers to light up and start talking. I suddenly know a lot more people who like board games and want to talk about them with me.
Game: Siege of Valeria – this is a solo-only card management battle game. You are defending your castle against an invading horde. This was gifted to me by another solo gamer I met in an online community (thanks again, Dan!)
Siege of Valeria 1 player Age 8+ 30 -35 min $35

1 Players • Ages 8+ • 30-35 minutes • $30

5. WARNING: May lead to participation in unexpected activities

When I started in this hobby 5 years ago, I never expected that I would find myself more than a passive participant in the gaming community. I only really ventured into forums or discussion threads looking for game suggestions. Now, I am writing reviews and Top Tens. I just purchased tickets to my first-ever Gen Con and recently accepted an invitation to give a video tour of my game room. Definitely didn’t expect that.
Game: Big Sur, this card game, traveling the Pacific Coast Highway, was the first that I received to review.

2-4 Players • Ages 10+ • 15-30 minutes • $19

4. WARNING: May lead to additional hobbies

Mini-painting is practically its own hobby. A quick search online reveals people designing and 3D printing inserts and upgraded pieces. Games that have a lot of expansions (Arkham Horror, Marvel Champions) require bigger storage boxes, and hoo-boy are there some brilliant creations out there. Not just boxes, but boxes that look like creepy mansions or the tesseract storage box. Handmade accessories like token bowls and card holders can be works of art (thank you, Paul, they are gorgeous).
Game: 7th Continent – a scenario-based game in which you are attempting to lift a curse from a mysterious island. The game board is built from numbered cards. Expansion curses add more cards, so this was the game that required me to get creative when it came to storage.

1-4 Players • Ages 14+ • 5-1000 minutes • $69

3. WARNING: Users report instances of new knowledge

This has nothing to do with trivia games (although I suppose that they qualify). There is not a theme out there that hasn’t been explored in board games. There are games about colonizing space, hiking through the National Parks, and creating ecosystems specifically for bats. Sometimes you can’t help but get curious about the topic, and you find yourself looking for more information. Some games even include little pamphlets in the box with details about the theme or topic. There’s a lot you can learn in a game box.
Game: Black Sonata – this is a solo deduction game in which you are trying to track down Shakespeare’s Dark Lady. I didn’t know anything about a Dark Lady in Shakespearean sonnets, but now I do.

1 Players • Ages 12+ • 30 minutes • $85

2. WARNING: Games may become habit forming

Board gaming is not a passive hobby. You are going to find yourself reliving that last game, just knowing that you could have done better. You will find your brain churning, churning, churning about some new strategy to the point you can’t fall asleep (I wish this were an exaggeration). The only thing that will ease the cravings is another round.
Game: Endeavor Deep Sea – this action retrieval/exploration game is smooth playing, just complex enough that I find myself saying ‘just one more’ every time I come to the end. Really, though, I can stop whenever I want, and I will right after this one last game…

2-4 Players • Ages 10+ • 60-120 minutes • $59

1. WARNING: Repeated gaming is known to reduce dementia risk

This is based on science. Real science, not some TikTok influencer with dubious credentials. Multiple published reports in scientific journals have linked the playing of good old analog board games to a reduced risk of dementia. There is even documented evidence of improved cognitive function in players who have already been diagnosed with dementia. So protect your brain! Grab a game.
Game: Spirit Island – repelling invaders by using spirit-specific powers is pretty challenging. This game has the highest complexity rating in my collection, higher than chess. If this isn’t going to prevent dementia, I don’t know what will.
Spirit Island 1 – 4 players Age: 13+ 90 -120 min $65

1-4 Players • Ages 13+ • 90-120 minutes • $64