Be honest: how many games on your shelf are still in the shrink-wrap? If the number stings a little, today is for you. 30 June is International Unplayed Games Day, a cheerfully simple challenge to pick one game you own but have never played, and actually play it.
Got a regular group? Create a private community, poll for the best date, vote on games, and let your friends RSVP in one place.
Set up your group for freeThe day is the work of Paul Grogan, the man behind the popular how-to-play channel Gaming Rules!. His pitch is refreshingly low-stakes: this is about fighting the thing nearly every collector has, a shelf of unplayed games bought with the best intentions and never brought to the table. He landed on a fixed date of 30 June so it is easy to remember, partly because it falls in the week he takes off to livestream games from morning to night.
There is no committee and no rulebook. You just choose something gathering dust, punch out the tokens, and give it a go, then tell your gaming group what you played. It is the kind of nudge most of our backlogs badly need.
Run game nights? Backseat Gamer handles RSVPs, waitlists, date polling, and game voting so you can focus on playing.
Start organising for freeIt also makes a perfect excuse for an event. A backlog night, where everyone brings one unplayed game and teaches it cold, is one of the easiest game nights to run and one of the most fun, because nobody at the table is the expert. If that sounds like your kind of evening, set up a game night on Backseat Gamer and rope your group into clearing a few boxes off the pile together.
So what is it going to be? Reach past the comfort picks, grab the one you have been meaning to learn, and make today the day it finally hits the table.
Sources: Wargamer | BoardGameGeek
