ESL Questions Board Games
Board Games
75 discussion questions about board games for ESL learners at every level. Great for leisure vocabulary, strategy discussions, and lessons where students actually enjoy themselves.
Beginner
Do you like playing board games?
What is your favourite board game?
Have you ever played chess?
Do you play board games with your family?
What board games did you play as a child?
Have you ever played Monopoly?
Do you prefer board games or card games?
Do you like games that take a long time to finish?
Have you ever played Scrabble?
Do you prefer games based on luck or skill?
Have you ever played a board game in another language?
How often do you play board games?
Have you ever argued with someone over the rules of a game?
What is the most competitive game you have ever played?
Do you know any traditional board games from your country?
Have you ever made up your own rules for a board game?
Do you prefer playing with two players or a group?
Have you ever played a board game you did not understand?
Do you like word games?
What is the longest board game you have ever played?
Have you ever played a game where someone cheated?
Do you think board games are still popular with young people?
What is one board game you would recommend?
Have you ever bought a board game as a gift?
Do you think it is fun to lose a game if you played well?
Intermediate
How do board games differ from video games as a social experience?
Why do you think there has been a revival of interest in board games in recent years?
What do you think makes a board game become a classic that people play for decades?
How do strategy games like chess or Settlers of Catan help develop thinking skills?
Have you ever been to a board game cafe? What was it like?
Do you think board games are good for children's development?
How do cooperative board games, where everyone works together, compare to competitive ones?
What is the most complex board game you have ever played?
Do you think luck-based games are less satisfying than skill-based ones?
How do you feel about playing games with people who take winning very seriously?
Should there be more board games taught in schools?
How has crowdfunding changed the board game industry?
What makes a board game fun for both beginners and experienced players?
Have you ever played a game that was so good you stayed up much later than planned?
Is there a game that you used to love but now find boring?
How do different generations in your family approach board games?
Do you think board games can be genuinely educational?
How do you choose which game to play when you have a group with different tastes?
What is the best game for a group of people who have never met before?
How do you feel about house rules that people add to established games?
Is there a game that you find genuinely unfair or poorly designed?
How do cultural differences affect the types of games that are popular in different countries?
Do you think the board game industry is innovative enough in creating new types of games?
What is the most important quality in a good board game opponent?
If you could design your own board game, what would it be about?
Advanced
Why does Monopoly cause so many arguments, and is that a design flaw or a feature?
Is chess genuinely the best strategy game ever invented, or does its status as the 'intellectual' game reflect cultural bias?
Board games require you to be in the same room as other people for extended periods. Is that their greatest strength in the current moment?
Do cooperative board games actually teach cooperation, or do they usually end up with one person making all the decisions?
Is the board game revival partly a reaction against the isolating nature of screen-based entertainment?
Do competitive games bring out genuine personality traits, or do people just behave differently when playing?
Is it possible to enjoy a game where luck plays a significant role, or does luck undermine the satisfaction of winning?
Should schools use strategy board games as part of the curriculum? Would it actually work?
Why do some people find losing at games genuinely distressing, and what does that reveal about them?
Is there something valuable about playing games where rules are fixed and everyone must follow them?
Do board games create genuine social bonding, or is the socialising mostly just happening around the game?
How do you feel about games that are deliberately designed to be very long, like multi-session strategy games?
Is the popularity of escape room games a sign that people want more challenging and immersive physical experiences?
Why do you think games involving property, money, and economic competition are so popular across cultures?
Is there something problematic about games that simulate conquest, colonisation, or war as entertainment?
Do adults who play board games regularly differ from those who don't in any meaningful way?
How do you feel about people who refuse to play games because they are too competitive or too afraid of losing?
Is the rise of adult board game culture a response to the infantilisation of mainstream entertainment?
Should playing games, including board games, be considered a legitimate professional skill in certain fields?
What does the design of a culture's traditional games reveal about its values?
Is randomness in games fair, or does luck mean that outcomes are ultimately meaningless?
Do the rules of a game shape how people think about fairness, competition, and social interaction?
How do you feel about people who house rule games to make them easier or more fun? Is it still the same game?
Is it possible for a board game to be genuinely art, or are games always just entertainment?
If a board game could teach one thing about life, what game would you choose and what would it teach?