France Holds On To Its Ancient Passion For Board Games

PARIS —Marjorie Buyse describes herself as an “unconditional fan” of board games. “I’ve been playing since I was a little girl. I play all the time, alone or with friends (even better!), on my smartphone, anytime I get a break,” says the freelance art director in her early 50s, based in Lille, in the north of France.

Every other Sunday, she organizes a game night at home, inviting friends and family who are addicts, like her, to these playful pursuits. On average, two or three times a year, she takes part in “Murders Parties,” a sort of giant Clue game (search for the murderer, his motive and the murder weapon) held in the Lille region.

The ritual is never changed. Four to six weeks before the event, each participant receives from the game master the role-play scenario (time, place, situation, context), as well as a “character sheet” containing the player’s biography, links with other participants, secrets to be kept, objectives and (the icing on the cake) a secret skill, such as going through other players’ pockets.

“It requires a certain dedication, but the experience is exciting, especially when the scenario is subtle and includes twists and secrets not included in the program,” says Buyse, who has around 50 games in her collection and buys an average of five a year, from a dedicated store in the heart of the northern city.

“In addition to the pleasure of playing, which goes back to childhood, board games are a great way of sharing and getting together between generations. I’m not particularly competitive or a sore loser,” she says laughing.

An array of choices 

Voluntarily sulky or grumpy, often prone to pessimism, the French are actually fervent gamers, addicted to board games whose origins date back to antiquity and whose traces can be found in Egyptian and Mesopotamian civilizations.

In 2023, 30 million games were sold in France, an increase of 40% in the past 10 years, according to figures from the Groupement interprofessionnel du jeu de société (Interprofessional Board Game Group). The two best-selling games? The legendary Monopoly, created in 1931 in the United States, and Pay Day, developed in 1975, also in the land of Uncle Sam.

All in all, more than 1,000 new games, with prices ranging from 15 to 200 euros for limited editions, are launched every year in France, which in recent years has become Europe’s No. 1 market for leisure games, overtaking neighboring Germany, historically the industry leader. According to the Cannes International Games Festival, held every year for three days on the Croisette, 87% of French people play board games; 25% at least once a week.

We’re playing more and differently, because the choices have multiplied.

Is this frenzy the result of chance? Not exactly. France hosts the most board game festivals in the world (almost 500), the most popular of which, the Festival ludique international de Parthenay in western France, takes place over 12 days in July.

“Our country has almost 1,500 fixed or mobile game libraries, 200 game bars, which are growing in number, and 400 clubs or associations for board game enthusiasts,” says 43-year-old Olivier Mahy, president of the Société des auteurs de jeux (SAJ), or Game Designer Society, which brings together 650 designers, both published and unpublished.

“Compared to 10 or 15 years ago, we’re playing more and differently, because the choices have multiplied. The emotions involved in the pleasure of playing have become more and more prevalent, particularly since lockdown during the COVID-19 health crisis. People of all ages gathered around board games like never before,” says Mahy, who is also the creator of a dozen games, six of which are in development and should be released in stores in 2025 and 2026.

A strong economy 

Another reason for satisfaction and celebration is the excellent economic health of the players in this universe. Of the 150 publishers present in France, 26 are French, and games “made in France” have a global reach. Examples include Dixit, with its dreamlike illustrated maps created by child psychiatrist Jean-Louis Roubira (12 million copies sold worldwide), and Jungle Speed, created in 1996 by two former high school friends, Thomas Vuarchex and Pierric Yakovenko, with 9 million units sold.

This reflects a need to get together and share time together, with family and friends.

“Historically, there has been a culture of games in France, as well as recognized creators and illustrators who, through the quality of their work, inspire other gamers. We can even speak of a real school of creation, a “French Touch” identifiable in the mechanics of games and the care given to design, graphics and the experience of playing”, explains Asmodée (2,500 employees), leader in the distribution and publishing of board games for around thirty years, with a slew of blockbusters to its credit (Dobble, Loups-garous, Dixit, Time’s Up), 26 subsidiaries and dozens of creative studios.

“We’ve noticed a strong shift in demand in the French market, during lockdown, towards games to be played with family and friends, in order to spend quality time away from the screens — as well as so-called “atmospheric’ games”, where the aim is not so much to win as to have a fun and enjoyable time. This reflects a need to get together and share time together, with family and friends”, he explains.

Suitcases full of games

Sales director of an SME specializing in energy efficiency, Laurent Fantino, 53, threw himself wholeheartedly into the great board game classics (Monopoly, Risk, chess…) as a child, before gradually discovering War Games in the 1980s, followed by role-playing games, escape games and collaborative board games.

“I’m a game bulimic,” he says. “I play every weekend with my family. Every vacation, I travel with a suitcase full of games.” An avid reader of the specialized press on these subjects, he also likes to gather expert advice from sales staff at the Variantes boutique, located in Paris’ Latin Quarter since the early 1990s.

One of his favorite games? Mémoire 44, a board game released 20 years ago, whose philosophy is to pass on to younger generations the memory of the 1944 D-Day landings and the liberation of France. “The board game is one of the rare moments when human beings impose rules for their own pleasure,” says Fantino, who is delighted that his 15-year-old son also shares his passion and has been taking part in international tournaments for some months now.

When I discovered the world of board and strategy games, it changed my life.

Founder and director of Wenvision, a consulting firm specializing in technological issues, Olivier Rafal also fell into the world of games at an early age, from Small Horses to checkers with his parents and siblings. Gradually, as he puts it, the “soft drug” became a “hard drug.” One of his ultimate reference games? Catan, a game of German origin that revolutionized board gaming in the mid-90s. The pitch: at the head of a company of colonists freshly landed on the island of Catania, players must settle them in and make this new colony prosper by building cities.

“When I discovered the world of board and strategy games, it changed my life. At the time, the choices were relatively limited,” says Rafal,who has over 150 games in his library and spends afternoons, evenings and entire weekends indulging in this leisure with his children, friends and family, in a ”crazy intergenerational euphoria.”

“These days, I particularly enjoy games where there’s little to no chance involved. It gives you more scope for creativity and strategy. I like to play with people who aren’t necessarily at my level, but who want to learn and are focused,” he says. In addition to “face-to-face” games, Rafal is a regular visitor to the Board Game Arena platform, the world’s largest online board game service, where he enjoys playing board games both synchronized and not.

The social media aspect 

Entrepreneur and founder of Tribu Kafékouche, a start-up that creates board games for parents, Célina Buttin-Hecquard’s passion for board games intensified as an adult. She has gradually integrated this playful practice into her professional environment, using methods such as Lego Serious Play and Playmobil Pro.

“These tools have enabled me to explore the virtues of games in collaborative work, by stimulating creativity and collective decision-making,” Buttin-Hecquard says.

A fan of “aperitif games” (including Yakafokon anf Kouvade, which she launched) and collaborative games (such as Link City, where the aim is to build a new city together), the entrepreneur is also a big fan of puzzles for adults, sales of which have quadrupled since 2015 and recorded an 18% increase in France in 2024. “Puzzles are a particularly convivial activity. These moments of play help me switch off, feed my creativity and, above all, share moments of closeness,” she says.

Board games becoming more professional, but the job remains precarious for designers.

Innovative and multi-faceted, board games have naturally found their way onto social media. These dedicated hashtags, #boardgames, #tabletopgames, have been reaching high scores on the Chinese platform TikTok for several months now. In just a few weeks, thousands of creators and users have helped to make board games “trendy,” like #skyjo, the terribly addictive card game, or to bring back classics like #loupsgarous (30,000 publications of related content) or #codenames (8,000 publications).

Videos by these social media players/creators contain explanations of rules, game demonstrations, strategic tips or live challenges. Some of the most creative among them include @meeplecorner, author of clever tutorials, @lepasse_temps, who runs an online games store, @moment_ludique, a specialist in group gaming moments, and @camille_joue, a fan who shares her playful experiences, sometimes accompanied by her son.

But as game stores are facing head-on competition from platforms and online sales, what is the future of board games in France? Will they gain more popularity in the years to come, among young and old alike?

“That will depend on a number of factors, along with government support. For example, will it finally be included in France’s culture pass [which facilitate young people’s access to culture]? That would be a tremendous step forward,” the SAJ’s Mahy says. “Board games are developing and becoming more professional, but the job remains precarious for designers, only 5% of whom manage to make a living from them.”

Let’s hope for that step forward, because board games are a formidable antidote to digital hyper-connection!