Learning through fun: board games cafes for undergraduate nursing students

Board games have been a part of cultures worldwide for many centuries as a way to socialise, pass the time, develop relationships around a common activity and as a way of enhancing social capital (Heron et al, 2018a). There is evidence of games being played using moving pieces as early as 6th century AD (Nakao, 2019). Board games are usually played on a table and involve two or more individuals in a range of activities with an end purpose. Bayeck (2020) suggested that they allow for interactions that result in individuals engaging and practising teamwork and creative thinking, stating: ‘Board games simplify complex issues, which make them appropriate to further explore learning and concepts’ (Bayeck, 2020:411).

This article describes the development, implementation and evaluation of an innovative nurse teaching initiative centred on the use of educational board games cafes. Noting the current popularity of board gaming, games covering a variety of clinical themes were purchased and used within a cafe-style environment with Year 1 student nurses at a large UK university. The authors present the context and model of the cafe, as well as evaluation and feedback from students. Recommendations for future developments and dissemination into other settings is presented.