Board games are a great way to get friends and family together for a night filled with fun, tension, drama, and sometimes even a few fights. With so many board games on the market, people generally have an extensive collection of board games. It also makes sense to get a wide variety of board games to consistently change up what you’re playing. However, buying a lot of board games does present with itself a unique challenge in how to go about organizing all your games. Generally, board games tend to have a lot of small pieces, and managing all of them properly can be a real pain.
However, if you don’t organize the board games properly, it can also lead to several issues. You don’t want to be in a position where you call everyone over for a game night only to see a few pieces of the game missing. Such an occurrence can end up causing a fun game night to end prematurely! If you want to avoid issues like these, your best bet is to spend some time learning how to organize board games. By ensuring that you properly organize your board games, you’ll be able to get the most fun out of your game night. Interested to find out how to organize your board games? Keep reading to find out more!
Board Game Storage Ideas
Tired of seeing your board game missing pieces after family game nights? Here are some board game storage hacks to help you stay organized!
Get designated game boxes
One of the easiest ways to store board games is getting plastic storage boxes. You don’t have to go out looking for anything particularly special. Just your standard plastic boxes from a department store can make for great board game boxes.
It might seem like a waste because board games tend to come with a storage box, but those boxes are usually less than ideal. These cardboard boxes tend to easily rip apart and make it much easier for you to lose the pieces. A standard plastic container is the perfect piece of storage equipment you need. These boxes also come in different sizes so you can buy them according to the games you have.
The storage containers will also work effectively for card games. If you have a lot of different games, then it’s a good idea to invest in multiple storage boxes. Use a simple label system to differentiate them according to the game. If you use just a single storage box, you’ll likely mix pieces from different games.
Increase storage space with a storage table
If you’re into playing many board games, one of the most ideal ways you can store everything is in a storage table. These are generally coffee tables that feature storage shelves at the bottom to let you effectively keep your favorite board games right next to where you play! Getting a dedicated piece of furniture like this also means you’ll always have game night over at your place.
Being good with tools will also prove to be an advantage in this situation. For example, you can DIY your own storage table from scratch or end up repurposing an old one. You can even build a game closet! With a storage table, you can store all the games you need and take them out in a moment’s notice when it’s time to play.
After you’re done playing the games, simply put everything back away into the correct compartment, and you should be good to go! You can even compartmentalize the storage by adding small plastic containers for storage. The possibilities are endless, and you can find many different ways of optimizing your storage.
Install board game shelves
If you want to display your board game collection for everyone to see, consider installing a few board game shelves in your living room or game room! The great thing about shelves is that they don’t take up a lot of floor space.
These can be as small or large as you like. They’re also one of the best organization ideas because you can use them to store other small items you may have as well. If you don’t want to install a brand new shelving unit for your games, you can repurpose an old bookshelf!
Clean up after gaming
One of the biggest mistakes people make when organizing board games is delaying picking up after yourselves. If you leave the pieces out for too long, it’s only natural that they may get misplaced. If you’re proactive and clean up right after you’re done playing, chances are that you’ll significantly reduce the odds of losing any pieces.
However, cleaning up after the game is finished generally tends to be everyone’s least favorite task. If this sounds like you and your group of friends, you can set cleaning up after the game is over as the loser’s task!
Store board games vertically
One of the main complaints that people tend to have with storing their board games is that they take a lot of space. If you stack up your games horizontally, they may end up taking much more space than you’d expect. When you’re decluttering, store your board games vertically and contain them properly with rubber bands. You’ll see that you save a lot of space! When you tie up the games with an elastic band, you’ll ensure that none of the pieces end up falling out accidentally. You’ll save space and better store your board games at the same time.
Compartmentalize storage
One of the most effective ways to organize your board games is by compartmentalizing everything properly. When you’re playing board games, ensure you don’t lose items by compartmentalizing storage. There are certain times when board games will use interchangeable parts. If you have a lot of board games that use dice, you can store them separately and use them without too much worry. Doing so will ensure that even if you lose some parts, you could easily get a replacement.
Why buy and store board games?
Now that we’ve talked about organizing board games properly, it may seem like too much work. It’s natural to want to avoid storing multiple board games at home out of worry of losing some game pieces. However, there are a lot of benefits to storing board games. Here are just a few!
Host game night
One of the main benefits of keeping board games at your place is that you can hold game nights. Game nights are a lot of entertainment and a great way to get the people you care about together for a night of fun. These nights can be intense and may end up being some of the best times that you spend with your friends or family. Given the fast-paced nature of modern lives, it becomes increasingly challenging to make out time for our loved ones. A weekly game night is a great way of ensuring that you can meet your friends consistently. You can even put a spin on game night by using different games, setting up a theme, or managing a rewards system. The possibilities are endless.
Reduce screen time
Another alarming issue is that we spend most of our time looking at screens. While there are definitely some benefits to all these technological advancements, it’s important to limit your screen time as well. With an increasing number of board games going digital, it’s even possible to play board games online.
It may seem unavoidable, but there are definitely a lot of advantages to limiting your screen time. One of the major benefits is that it can lead to much better sleeping habits. Instead of spending your time playing video games, you can bring out a good old board game and have some good quality fun away from screens.
Create stronger connections
One of the best benefits that board games offer is that they help you create stronger connections with your friends and family. It doesn’t matter the age, board games will easily allow you to get together, compete, strategize and have fun. Many people tend to underestimate the much more social aspect to board games. For several board games, strategizing and cooperating together is key. Players must engage with one another through effective teamwork.
Board games also help create a positive environment that helps foster an environment that’s conducive to learning. Of course, there can definitely be moments where things can get heated, and you might be about to break out into a fight. However, these moments can also help forge strong bonds between you and your friends.
Stress Reduction
Another common issue with modern life is that there’s a lot of stress with so much going on. All of this stress can end up having a taxing impact on your mental health. That’s why it’s essential to have effective ways of letting off steam and relaxing. Board games are a very interactive activity and help you gain some needed distance from your busy life. They’ll give you the opportunity to get the break that you really need.
One of the most effective ways to relax is using a positive distraction. There’s also a lot of research that indicates that most people play games to help lower their stress. Aside from helping lower the amount of stress you experience, board games also play a major role in teaching you how to effectively deal with stress.
Due to their intense nature, board games can help create a fight or flight response. That’s also the body’s natural response when you experience a stressful situation. By playing many video games, you’re giving your mind and body the get accustomed to the flight and fight response.
Increase cognitive functioning
One of the main complaints people tend to have about games is that people who play them too much aren’t very smart. However, that’s far from the truth. Research indicates that playing many games can actually help significantly improve cognitive functioning.
Playing more games can help significantly improve memory, thinking speed, and problem-solving capabilities. In addition, for older people, actively playing these games can help them combat cognitive decline.
Easy socializing
Socializing can be challenging. For some people, it’s super easy, and for others, it feels like it’s incredibly challenging. However, board games can always prove to be a decent icebreaker. Playing a high-quality board game makes for a social situation where everyone can participate.
Conclusion
Board games are a lot of fun and can be a great bonding activity for friends and family. They are inclusive, easy to understand, tons of fun, and can be practical teaching tools. However, the most common issue with board games is that they require a bit of organization. You have to store all the parts and then arrange them later when playing the game.
By following the tips, we talk about in this article, you stand a much higher chance of organizing your board games properly. Whether you choose to invest in plastic containers or use the shoeboxes that are already in your home, you find ways to organize them properly.
