Makan Mania and more - demand for S'pore-themed games on the rise

Growing crop of board and card games made by home-grown designers hitting the market

- Elaine Lee

The lunchtime rush at a hawker centre is manic and noisy. It involves locating a table, deciding which stalls to queue for and jostling with crowds, all at the same time.

This very Singaporean experience is the premise of Makan Mania, a card game by table-top game designer Steve Ng. In the game, players roll dice to get their food and beat the crowd.

For Makan Mania, which was developed under Capital Gains Studio, Mr Ng said he wanted to have gamers huddled over a table, rolling dice. "It's the feeling of chance and trying to get lucky. The rolling dice also make noise. It's exciting, chaotic and, to me, a reflection of the lunch crowd," said Mr Ng, 29.

Launched in April, Makan Mania is among a growing crop of board and card games made by home-grown designers. Designers and board game cafes tell The Straits Times that interest in table-top games with a local flavour is growing, and this is driving a surge in the popularity of home-grown games over the last five years.

Locally made games are gaining ground for a number of reasons, including growing interest in tabletop games following the Covid-19 pandemic and the commercial success of some local games and studios, they said.

About 100 copies of Makan Mania have been sold and Mr Ng said it is the studio's most popular pre-ordered item.

The number of locally made games has soared over the years.

Mr Alvin Tan, who owns board game cafe The Mind Cafe, which has two outlets in Prinsep Street, estimates that there were about 120 such games in 2023, up from about 15 in 2013.