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As an ’80s baby and a ’90s kid, I have a strong recollection of life before the current age of information overload. Now it feels like everywhere I turn, I’m bombarded with unsolicited updates on the deteriorating state of the world. It’s hard to escape. My therapist keeps recommending I find some way to turn off my mind to destress, but things like meditation and long walks haven’t helped my tightly wound brain stop overthinking everything. I finally found my solution in a very unlikely place: a game table.
I was initially interested in Arcade1Up’s Infinity game table because again, as an elder millennial, I have a deep nostalgia for the simplicity of a classic board game night. It’s essentially an oversized tablet that connects to a game store where you can download digital versions of popular (and some less so) games like Monopoly, Risk, Candy Land and a ton more. And yes, I know that I could’ve probably just bought physical copies of these games but what can I say? I’m a guy who likes his tech toys. The table connects to your Wifi network to access the game library. There are dozens of free options to download, but pay-to-own offerings like Wheel of Fortune and Ticket To Ride cost anywhere from $2 to $15 each. Arcade1Up offers two sizes for their Infinity Game experience: the 32-inch stand-alone table for $950 ($50 off its full retail price) and the 18-inch board, which requires a flat surface to play, for $500.
I got my table in December at a time of peak stress, between the holidays and trying to tie up loose ends before the end of the year. My husband and I had a couple of friends over for dinner so we powered up the table to test out a few games. With a yule log on the TV, some records from my vinyl collection on the turntable and wine glasses full of a hearty red, we jumped into a quick round of Candy Land to kick things off. Somewhere between Nana’s Nut House and Licorice Lagoon, it finally happened. Allowing myself to get fully invested in this kids game designed for 3-6 year olds put me in a zen state of mind where I wasn’t obsessing over the pending apocalypse. It happened again when we played a highly competitive game of Guess Who? and, truth be told, it happens every time I play.
I have since established a new routine for myself to set my phone to the side for a while and revisit my youth through these games. I face off in a fierce game of Battleship against my husband where the whole table shakes when a boat sinks. Sometimes I brew up some tea and play a solo game of Scrabble. There’s also an app for jigsaw puzzles of varying difficulty. It has become a form of self-care for me to drown out all of the noise of the outside world and lose myself in the table.
It’s hard for me to fully articulate how therapeutic it has been temporarily escaping into a world where my biggest concern is whether someone will bump my piece in Sorry! or landing on a chute in Chutes and Ladders. There are no push notifications revealing panic-inducing headlines. I replace doomscrolling with hunting for hidden items in a large picture like I used to do on the back of Highlights magazine. I can at least pretend to own property for a few precious moments. Playing on the Infinity Game Table is like possessing a time machine transporting me back to the attic of my childhood home in Staten Island.
The table may not be cheap, but it’s hard to put a price tag on serenity in this day and age.