These days, you can do just about anything online. Trinkets can be delivered to your door and songs can be found with a single search. Amid all this digitalization, one hobby has remained stubbornly physical. Unlike their video game counterparts, tabletop games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering still ask its players to sit across from one another in a shared physical space.
Along Taft, tabletop gaming culture is alive and well, with local game stores catering to the niche up and down the avenue. The LaSallian casts its light on these players, and each of their quests to keep the hobby on the tabletop.
“You can’t do the game alone,” expresses JP Dinglasan (AB-PLM, ‘24). It is precisely what makes the hobby so enticing—surrounded by good company, it is easy to lose yourself. Players are lured deep into a maze of engaging gameplay and creative storytelling, forging unforgettable memories that inevitably sweep them into the time-blurring excitement once again.
In a maze of cardboard
Still, there are many twists and turns that can deter those looking to explore. “Everyone’s busy,” Dinglasan laments. “People are having a hard time committing.” Not only is time an issue for players, but the high cost is also a barrier for many. Trading card games like Magic: The Gathering include game pieces that are priced in the thousands. Even so, many players find ways to navigate the hobby on a budget. Zane Bautista (IV, BS-ISE) shares that his playgroup makes use of “proxies,” copies of game pieces printed on paper in lieu of the card itself.
While time and money may be a problem for Taft gamers, there is definitely no shortage of places to enjoy the hobby. All across campus, you can find tabletop gamers occupying tables from Gokongwei Hall to Henry Sy Sr. Hall. Even when the campus is inaccessible, you can find groups like Aron Antonio’s (III, BSIT) in local game stores like the Boardroom in Providence Tower or Yessa Mastura’s (AB-POM, ‘25) in Ongkeco’s Hobby Shop in D’Students Place. Up and down Taft Ave., players choose to get lost in this hobby wherever, whenever, and however they would like.
A world we can draft
More than an activity friends can bond over, tabletop games are also an avenue for a diverse set of individuals to congregate over similar interests—real people with different lives coming together. For Bautista, this is the beauty of tabletop games: the freedom to “nerd out…and people will understand.” Though he recognizes there may be room for disagreements about the game, the freedom to choose your people and the sense of community remain.
Sadly, there is still stigma present in the male-dominated community. Recalling Mastura’s first experience in a game store, “a lot of the people there tend to be hesitant when speaking to me, …but when I’m with my male-presenting friends, they’re very forward.” She further expounds that compared to her male counterparts, there seems to be “this sort of distance that’s hard to bridge,” taking multiple sessions for the barrier to finally dismantle itself. Despite this, Mastura continues to “unashamedly [show up] the way I am” to normalize women in the tabletop game community. Mastura expresses their motivation to prove that “women, especially hyper-feminine presenting women, have a place in this hobby as much as the average card shop or local game shop-goer does.”
This expansion is inherent in the potential for creativity in these games. As Antonio notes, campaigns can be “as wild and as unfounded and unique as possible,” with each customizable character and storyline evolving as time goes on. More than a cozy hobby, tabletop games are an avenue of expression—a community that continues to grow and develop with the variety and imagination of its members.
For the love of the game
Despite its enduring presence, tabletop gaming is often dismissed as a hobby reserved for a niche crowd, no thanks to its closed-off portrayal in pop culture. However, that perception is far from reality. “I think it’s for everyone,” says Mastura. “All you have to do is have the willingness to go in there and just be open-minded and enjoy yourself.” Bautista adds that the only real requirement is the willingness to give it a chance. “You only really will enjoy it if you put in the effort to try,” explaining that most people end up discovering new ways to play.
Each game brings something different to the table. Whether it be participating in tournaments or simply admiring the artistry behind collectibles, every player has something to look forward to. For Bautista, it is the thrill of a friendly competition and playful rivalry. Zooming out, the hobby also helps make the campus and its community feel a little more familiar. “It led me to meet more people, not just in the game scene, but [also] other people in La Salle,” Antonio shares.
On the ever-so-busy streets of Taft where students and working adults rush from one deadline to the next, it is not uncommon to find a table occupied by friends squeezing in a game between classes or spontaneously gathering at the nearest local game store after a long day. While it may just look like a bunch of cardboard, it is the people that truly turn the tables to make each game a memorable experience. As Mastura reflects, “With human interaction, there is nothing that can replace it. Tabletop games keep that alive.”