Chinese board games run counter to online trends

Board games have made a surprising revival against the online trend in China, the country that boasts the world's largest total of internet users, as well as the most online gamers.  Board game cafés - a fashionable import from South Korea - have been quickly adopted in many parts of China, particularly Shanghai.

Café users, typically teenagers, pay on average 10-25 RMB per person to play the games, and many cafés offer deals such as free food and drinks to entice customers. The growth of board game cafés has also brought with it an opportunity for counterfeiters, and now there are is a large number who specialize in offering Chinese translations of Western games for the growing audience.  Although the market in Shanghai is highly competitive - one multi-purpose commercial building in the city has 18 cafés, for example - there is still much growth potential in other areas of the country.