Organizing Board Games: Play-by-Play Plans for Keeping Them Hidden
So why is just about every game shelf in just about every home across the country a complete disaster, hidden away at the back of a closet or behind cupboard doors? How do these cheerful boxes that stack so neatly and nicely on the toy store shelves disintegrate so quickly into chaos?
The simple answer is that they’re just board games. They’re not meant to be works of art and they’re not supposed to be considered part of a serious decorating scheme. They’re cheap fun, and as such they shouldn’t require an adult’s attention unless that adult is in the thick of the game.
It’s easier to just put a box back on top of a pile than it is to figure out where it fits neatly and move other boxes aside to put it there. It’s human nature. Most of us do it with everything that should be easy to keep neat, from books to CDs to photo boxes. Inevitably, the solution to that ugly pile of rickety boxes is to store it in a cupboard or a closet, behind some kind of door that can lock the disaster away.
But therein lies the problem; it’s easier to ignore clutter, mess and chaos when it’s hidden away. But the old “out of sight, out of mind” philosophy can backfire. You got the games in order to play them, right? If they’re hiding away, or too much work to get to, how often do you think you’re going to play them? Shoving board games away in a closet creates more problems than it solves.
When it’s in your face, you’re more likely to do something about it. Getting your collection of board games out in the open may be your best strategy for maintaining control. Think about displaying those board games and what a cheerful collection of brightly decorated boxes can do to perk up a room.
Take a look around your home and consider your options, keeping in mind where you’re most likely to play board games with your friends or family. Finding a place in that room may seem like the most logical solution, but keep in mind that it doesn’t take a lot of work to fetch one of these boxes from another room.
Rooms that make sense for board-game decorating include family rooms, media rooms and spare rooms, no matter how fancy. Even the most pristine, fussy guest room can handle the weekend-retreat touch that board games can lend to it. Avoid keeping board games in children’s rooms; that’s just asking for destroyed boxes and an explosion of bits and pieces and funny money all over the place. Even if you store them up high, they’re too much of a temptation for little hands. There’s too much fun to be had spreading the contents from one end of the house to the other.
Living rooms are generally more sophisticated public areas. Wooden chess sets and mancala boards may work in an eclectic living room, but probably not the bright cardboard boxes with screaming primary colors. Even a Scrabble box is pushing it.
Be creative. You probably don’t want Life and Monopoly stacked on the kitchen counter, no matter how often you play the games at the kitchen table, but if you keep a step ladder in the kitchen anyway, you might consider keeping short stacks of games along the tops of the cabinets, or on top of the fridge. Keep in mind the boxes are made of cardboard; steam and grease will wreak havoc on them.
Choose a surface with adequate space for your collection. Shelves, table tops, window seats and hutches all qualify. If you’re game, a tall stack in the corner, at an angle that looks deliberate and fun will work.
Begin by separating your shapes, rectangles with rectangles, squares with squares and oddly-shaped boxes in their own pile. Use the biggest boxes as bases and work your way up from there through the mid-size to the smallest. If you need multiple piles, go for it. If you haven’t played a game in six months, consider donating it so that another family can get some fun bonding mileage out of it.
Of course, this kind of stacking only works if the boxes are all intact with strong corners and lids that sit flat. In an active family, the life of one of these boxes is pretty short. The more they’re handled, the faster these flimsy things fall apart.
Add to that the endless parade of game pieces and tiny characters – not to mention the truckloads of funny money – that tend to take flight and escape their proper homes at the drop of a little Monopoly hat, and you’ve got the potential for a real mess. Even if you do round up all the pieces, rarely will they go back in place well enough for the box to close properly.
In order to keep everything in check, you’ll need back-up storage and display ideas. Here’s where you get to incorporate a little personal style and expand on your display so that it makes more sense in its surroundings.
The first time you play a new game, grab a few zip-up sandwich bags and toss all the pieces into one and any cards or money into another. Remove any plastic or cardboard partitions that came in the box; you’ll want to put the board back in the bottom of the box with the bags of pieces on top so that the lid will always close and lay flat. It’s just an easy way to keep everything together, and it teaches children about taking time and thought to put things away. If you give a child a specific responsibility, like gathering all the people and putting them in a baggie, they’re more likely to appreciate the teamwork that goes into cleaning up.
The very instant one of the corners comes apart – and it will – give up on the entire box. Don’t bother trying to tape it together. You’ll never get it just right, and even if you do a passable job, not many tapes adhere to that kind of low-grade cardboard for long.
But don’t give up on the game. Toss the box, but keep everything else. This is the fun part. Take the board and prop it up on a plate stand. Place it next to or in the vicinity of your boxed games to help demonstrate that the collection is a deliberate display. Use it as part of the dÃ?©cor. Again, this kind of statement – board games as dÃ?©cor – is more appropriate to casual rooms than formal living and dining rooms.
Meanwhile, you’ll need to rethink storing the pieces, cards and money. If you separated your Clue weapons from characters from notebooks into separate sandwich bags, now you’ll want to first put them all in one bigger storage bag and then put that into a completely different place. Remember to label the storage bag to find it again quickly and easily when you want it.
Rounding out your board game display, choose a container that reflects your personality where you can throw the assorted bags of Clue game pieces, Candyland children, and Monopoly money. Possibilities that work well include decorative hat or photo boxes, brightly painted galvanized tin tubs, woven baskets and even plain plastic containers.
Placed in among the stacks of boxes and the upright standing boards, these boxes will not only provide quick and easy access to the mass of game pieces and moneys, but will complete the setting. Your accumulation of board games will look deliberate, stylish and welcoming.
Actually pulling a game out and playing with it will happen more often, and with an easy clean-up that looks good and makes sense, you’ll be happy to have them all in your home.
