Let the games commence – making your home a fun house
We’ve all heard about the decline of the British pub. And it may well be true that communities are not what they once were during the spirit of the Blitz, the smoking ban seemed to hit local boozers particularly hard, and even government taxation is making us give the local a wide berth with the price of a pint flying up.
But another reason could well be that staying in is simply far more fun than it ever has been before. A feature of interior design over the past decade or two has been the general trend towards shaping the inside of our homes to maximise our fun, rather than preserve a sense of decorum; few people have drawing rooms these days, but increasing numbers of us indulge ourselves with a games room.
Old-school…
So, if staying in is the new going out, what are your options? Of course, there are always cards, dominoes, or good old-fashioned board games, but to really bring the flavour of the village local into the home you need to think slightly bigger. A pool table is a brilliant option – provided you have the cueing space. A full-size American table is 9ft long (but frequently available in an 8ft variety), while the trusty old British pub table is 7ft. As with anything, you can pay thousands, but you could also pick up a less expensive version, or a reconditioned pub table for far less with a bit of savvy shopping.
If you have less room, but want something of the pub games atmosphere, you could consider shove ha’penny . This great little game sees players ‘shoving’ old-fashioned coins along a wooden or slate panel, aiming to get them to stop in between markings on the board. Fiendishly difficult and able to summon up unearthly levels of competitiveness, shove ha’penny has brought generations of my own family around our little wooden board many a time.
If you’ve got a decent garden, then how about stringing up an outdoor badminton kit to make the most of the summer? Alternatively, if you have either a really big room you are happy to give over to games – or you have a level, hard outside area – then you could bring the continental campsite vibe to your plot with a table tennis table. I’ve just moved to a place with a patio, and bought a table, so as far as I’m concerned, this summer is the perfect time to paddle the ping-pong ball.
…or hi-tech?
Of course, these more traditional pursuits won’t be for all. And speaking of ping-pong, we’ve come a long way since Pong on the black and white TV in the lounge was the height of excitement.
With the overall trend in technology to make things smaller, cheaper and more accessible, experiences which were necessarily once only enjoyable in a games arcade are now within the reach of an average person. Console games have effectively emulated and even surpassed the arcade experience, packaging it up into a neat glossy box which sits beneath your TV, and costs – relatively speaking – very little.
And if you want to improve the immersive aspect of all this, you can bring the arcade home with you. For example, if you love driving games, then rather than relying on a simple control pad, you can fix yourself up with a dedicated gaming seat which will cradle you and play sound through the headrest-mounted speakers, while you use realistic pedals and a steering wheel. Guaranteed to keep the hardiest gamer occupied for hours!
Playing games at home – whether digitally, or with a 19th century coin in your hand – can be a cheap alternative to a Saturday night out, stocking up on booze at the supermarket and a few nibbles and squint a little and you might even be down the pub anyway! But while you might end up saving money in the long run, getting set up could cost a few hundred pounds. An option could be to spread the cost by using a credit card with an interest free introductory period and that lets you collect rewards. Just think of how much fun you could be having this Saturday night all in the comfort of your own home, all the benefit of the boozer but the comforts of your own living room!
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