STAFF at one of Ballarat\u2019s pop culture, card, and tabletop gaming outlets invited new faces to come in last week with the aim of introducing newcomers to all things fun.<\/p>\n
Having opened the Ballarat store earlier this year, Good Games staff held an intro to board games event last week in what is set to be an ongoing event.<\/p>\n
The initiative is being spearheaded by Amy Smith who said the day was about making the space more inclusive for everyone.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do youth engagement stuff when I\u2019m not here and I love the idea of bringing communities together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe aim here is to get a bunch of people together that maybe felt a bit too intimidated by board games to be able to rock up and know they\u2019re in a safe space to learn.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you walk through a store like this, it can be very intimidating with the amount of stuff that\u2019s on the shelf and if you don\u2019t know what you\u2019re after, it can be terrifying trying to figure it out.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe set it up with some really cool games we like and it\u2019s been a pretty relaxed setup. Everyone\u2019s welcome to ask for help or sit down and figure it out themselves.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Smith said she aims to hold more \u201cjumping-off\u201d sessions later in the year for people unfamiliar with board games, card games and potentially model-building sessions.<\/p>\n
Boardgames included Exploding Kittens, Dungeon Mayhem, Happy Little Dinosaurs, and Carcassonne.<\/p>\n
Headspace peer worker Bridie Hull brought two of her clients to the intro day and said it provided a safe, inclusive space for them.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really good, especially with events like these. It\u2019s very open and taste-based for the youth of Ballarat,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been really fun and easy for everyone to pick up. You get to steal each other\u2019s cards and it\u2019s bringing that interaction with other players so it\u2019s very inclusive.<\/p>\n
\u201cI hope they hold these more often. It\u2019s a really good opportunity especially for people who may feel a bit nervous coming to these things, it\u2019s in a safe space to come down, socialise and have fun.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ms Smith is based in Colac Otway Shire, where she\u2019s been running similar initiatives with youth engagement officer Reuben Whyte including a Dungeons and Dragons school program late last year.<\/p>\n
Mr Whyte attended the intro day, and said gaming is the way forward for engaging with youth.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis sort of stuff is all about safe space,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is highlighting the need for this sort of stuff, people like Amy creating spaces for young people to be at even just a couple hours a week.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a chance for them to be themselves around people that see them and appreciate them. It\u2019s not about gaming or the activity, but letting people be themselves and find their tribe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
STAFF at one of Ballarat\u2019s pop culture, card, and tabletop gaming outlets invited new faces to come in last week with the aim of introducing newcomers to all things fun. Having opened the Ballarat store earlier this year, Good Games staff held an intro to board games event last week in what is set to […]<\/p>\n