Board Games Over Bored Minds: Can Traditional Games Prevent Burnout in Families?

There’s a kind of tiredness we don’t talk about.
Not the tiredness from work or running errands.
The tiredness of... being around each other, yet not really connecting.

Everyone’s home. But everyone’s tired. Everyone’s in their own device bubble. No time. No energy. No patience.
And then the weekend comes—and even that feels like another chore.

Here’s a small idea that worked for us:
Start playing a traditional board game together. Once a week. Just one game. No rules, no pressure. Sit on the floor. Laugh. Let someone cheat. Let someone win. Let someone sulk.

Games like Pagade / Pachisi or Chowkabara / Ashtachemma aren’t intense. But they pull people in.
You look at faces instead of screens. You speak instead of text. You feel time slow down.

Suddenly, the 12-year-old talks about their school project. The grandparent tells an old story. The parent forgets the office stress.
The board is just an excuse. The real game is the reconnection.

No fancy setup needed. You can even draw the board on paper. Or reuse rangoli chalk.
Just play.

Start with:

• Friday family play night (30 mins max)

• One game only (Pagade or Alugulimane works well)

• No phones nearby

• Let kids anchor the session

We tried this. It didn’t fix everything. But it shifted something.

We didn’t feel so alone under the same roof.

And maybe, just maybe... that’s how we prevent the burnout before it begins.