Cozy Games: HOW ARE THEY SETTLING IN?

Before I got big into board games, I was very big into knitting, cooking, and gardening....When you put those into a board game or a tabletop game, it’s just everything I like.”

- Justin Spicer

Lysa Penrose of Ravensburger shared this sentiment in October 2024 on Unboxed, a podcast hosted by game industry pioneers Jennifer Graham-Macht of Keymaster Games and Danni Loe from Flat River Group. This visionary trio debated something we are all wondering:

Will the emerging trend of cozy board games become more than just a fad, or is it a bubble that will eventually burst?

Cozy Hobbies Born in Isolation

Coziness isn't new to entertainment, though it does feel fresh in the board gaming hobby. Video games such as Harvest Moon, the emergence of lo-fi inspired music and playlists across platforms such as YouTube and Spotify, and those traditional hobby examples Penrose spoke about have all been facets of many people's everyday lives.

Cozy has many different meanings, not only in terms of its philosophical imprint, but in its most literal interpretations. But most of these threads coalesce around the idea of comfortable, noncommittal convenience.

At no time, since arguably the Middle Ages, did people find themselves with as much situational isolation than during the COVID pandemic. It's also no coincidence that during this time of social separation people went inward, rekindling not only their passion for cozy hobbies old and new, but the next wave of board game popularity. This resurgence of interest in comforting hobbies, fostered by increased time spent at home, influenced the demand for board games, providing a familiar and comforting escape.

The worldwide board gaming market exploded to a valuation of nearly $20 billion by the end of 2022, according to Business Wire, rivaling the $26 billion evaluation for the music industry as it continues to navigate 20 years of choppy and uneven change. Yet, for nearly 15 years, board and tabletop gaming has grown — which has increasingly included the burgeoning popularity of cozy-themed games.