Pittsburgh Post-Gazette: In board games, players find fun, challenge and each other
UC German studies faculty cited in article on the newfound popularity of board games
According to an article on play, while board gaming in the U.S. was already on the rise pre-pandemic, the trend exploded during the 2020 lockdowns.
Board gaming over the prior century, however, still lagged behind European-style board gaming, says Evan Torner, associate professor of German Studies at the University of Cincinnati and author of “Analog Game Studies.”
Torner is cited in the article as saying that European style games such as Catan, designed in Germany in 1995, moved the needle on board gaming in the U.S.
“Suddenly, comics and hobby game stores weren’t moribund places, but packed full of board games that would actually sell.”
Featured image at top courtesy of Unsplash/Crout
Impact Lives Here
The University of Cincinnati is leading public urban universities into a new era of innovation and impact. Our faculty, staff and students are saving lives, changing outcomes and bending the future in our city's direction. Next Lives Here.
Related Stories
Love it or raze it?
February 20, 2026
An architectural magazine covered the demolition of UC's Crosley Tower.
Social media linked to student loneliness
February 20, 2026
Inside Higher Education highlighted a new study by the University of Cincinnati that found that college students across the country who spent more time on social media reported feeling more loneliness.
Before the medals: The science behind training for freezing mountain air
February 19, 2026
From freezing temperatures to thin mountain air, University of Cincinnati exercise physiologist Christopher Kotarsky, PhD, explained how cold and altitude impact Olympic performance in a recent WLWT-TV/Ch. 5 news report.