Entrepreneur rolls dice on career to set up new board gaming venture
Snacks over Scrabble, cab sav through Catan or desserts during Dungeons and Dragons – a new cafe and bar in Christchurch is turning up trumps for board gaming fans in the city.
Meepleopolis opened its doors on Lichfield St last month, its name combining “meeple”, a small figure used in certain board games, and “polis”, meaning city.
“The ‘opolis’ was added as we want to be the capital for all things game related,” owner and gamer Dean Holden said.
“We also have a lot of meeples in our space.”
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The venue, which seats about 100 people, has more than 200 games on offer, from the traditional to the newly discovered.
But Holden said he wanted to go “beyond a typical board game cafe and bar”.
Not only is Meepleopolis also a game retailer, other plans for the venue are as long as a trip around a Monopoly board, with budding players, families, and serious gamers all in mind.
They include quiz nights, monthly showcases of a selected game, a regular education programme from next year to teach children game mechanics and the social interactions involved, hosting competitions and tournaments and allowing the space to be used by game developers.
Meepleopolis was about “growing community” and inclusivity, Holden said.
“It’s really about creating a space for community, a place where people can come; and through the media of boardgames, we can connect people.”
And he was hoping to change the stigma around gaming cafes.
“People don’t think it’s cool, or maybe they’re just uncomfortable with playing a board game, which is 90% of the issue.”
It comes after the success
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