The group is currently led by four members, including Lim Tze Min, Director of the NLB’s Data Office. When he joined the NLB in 2021, he found out that there was an existing board game community whose activity had slowed down during the COVID-19 pandemic. With the help of three other officers, whom he calls his “co-conspirators”, he restarted the group and gradually grew its base through word of mouth and internal NLB emails.
Having grown up playing board games, Tze Min was keen to meet people who shared his interests. “As a leader, I also know that communities of common interests help to strengthen the organisation,” he adds.
Creating Community, Not Cliques
In medium-sized public agencies, it’s not always easy to get to know other people in the organisation. “The board games group is a great place to meet people who have the same interest,” Tze Min says. “Our biggest goal is to build friendships across the NLB.”
A lot of thought goes into ensuring that the community is inclusive and sustainable. Each session typically begins with a few rounds of light games (such as Tiny Epic Galaxies, which can be completed in about 30 minutes). This is so that those who turn up later – from being held up at work or by longer commutes, for example – are not excluded.
Longer games that require more rounds or complex strategies start later in the evening, after most people have arrived. The group also plays different games each week to avoid creating cliques.
“While we each have our favourite games that we will repeatedly play, the aim is to try different games outside our usual comfort zone and interact with new people.”
To keep the interest group sustainable, they are aiming to expand the core group of organisers so that there is always someone around to coordinate sessions should others be away. The idea is to have more people who can take charge of the logistics, bring games that they own or know, and teach the game rules.