It was a new love affair that Pitsanu “Nid” Satrulee recently committed to elevating from passion to business pursuit.
The 31-year-old was training to become a pilot outside of Bangkok last year when boredom led him to board games. And the occasional computer gamer was hooked, especially by the social dimension. Not many months later when his girlfriend wanted to start a business without a clear idea of what it should be, he had the solution.
At their recently opened “Boarding Time” (again, the pilot thing) at Mahatun Plaza, Nid welcomes visitors in his tidy trainee uniform and is happy to suggest a game and even sit down to play a few rounds.
Pitsanu “Nid” Satrulee schools noobs in the finer points of moose home invasion. Photo: Coconuts Bangkok
It’s unclear whether the fad is playing board games or opening board game cafes, as Boarding Time is one of many spreading through the capital like roads are dropped in the first few rounds of Catan.
Either way, it’s a rare sight to see a group of people seated around a table interacting without smartphones shutting each other out.
There’s no fee to sit and play at Boarding Time. Their business relies on selling games for customers to take home. And they don’t serve booze, just snacks, some Thai food, Italian sodas and coffee.
Photo: Courtesy Boarding Time
FIND IT:
2pm – 11pm, Monday – Thursday; Noon – 11pm Friday & Saturday
Mahatun Plaza
Between Craberman and La Monita
BTS Phloen Chit
Related:
Play outside the box at Bangkok’s board game cafes
