Yahtzee and biscotti: A visit to Southern California’s board game cafe

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Since it opened last year, GameHaus has attracted a loyal local following and become a must-stop place for board game enthusiasts, bloggers and designers visiting Los Angeles. (Photo: Saul Gonzalez)

We’re betting that in your home or apartment there’s probably a tabletop board game, like “Monopoly,” “Candy Land,” or “Clue,” somewhere.

Maybe it’s one under the couch in the den, or you have several stacked in small towers in a hall closet. If you haven’t played in a while and those games are gathering dust, you might think board games were relics, made obsolete by computers, video games, smart phones and other bright and shiny digital devices.

But you’d be wrong if you thought board games had gone the way of 8-track.

Board games have experienced a renaissance in recent years, and there are more interesting and challenging titles on the market than maybe ever before, with a complexity for every age and IQ.

This board game boom has also encouraged two Southern Californians to create the region’s first board game gathering spot, the GameHaus board game café in Glendale. It’s a place where board gamers — both veterans and newbies — are encouraged to come together and enjoy the pleasures of conversation, company and play over a board game.

Listen to our story about this board games crossroads below: