An old-fashioned hobby, playing war games, is experiencing a renaissance due to parents' desire to coax their children away from screens.
''It's a very social activity,'' Andrew Cook, a decade-long member of The Otago Miniature Tacticians Society, said.
''We have an increasing number of teenage boys coming because their parents are trying to get them interested in hobbies that don't involve a computer. They want them to socialise, and not just in school or via a screen.''
OMTS had been running in Dunedin for nearly 40 years and, although their numbers averaged ''a healthy 40'', Mr Cook would like to address the long-standing gender imbalance in the club.
''It is very male-dominated and that's a shame I think.
''A lot of the games we play are war games and I think women aren't as attracted to those sorts of games. They also might feel a bit uncomfortable when they turn up and there's a room full of men.''
Today, Dunedin Public Library will host its first International Games Day, and members of the OMTS will set up 12 tables of games in the teen space on the third floor.
Dunedin Public Libraries events manager Kay Mercer hoped the event would attract more people to the club, and thought it would be more fun than ''playing Monopoly''.
''My boys have really got into it and the youngest one is quite obsessed,'' she said.
''As a parent I like it because it is social and it teaches children strategy and problem-solving skills. I also think it suits teenagers who like to follow rules. I don't think children like to be as free as they think they do. The rules of the game give them those boundaries.''
Mr Cook said the lack of women in the club reflected a global problem, though he did notice that while a lot of women were not interested in participating in the war games, they did enjoy painting the figurines.
''We like to encourage a real mix of people to come, and we also have people travelling up from Invercargill and Timaru to play with our members.''
Mr Cook, who used to work as a computer programmer, said that at the end of long day in front of a screen, games were a great way to unwind.
''My parents were products of the Second World War, so I grew up on war books and television shows and stories. I think that definitely influenced my interest, but there are so many facets to the club. You can play with fantasy games or do role-play. It's a hobby where you can really stretch your imagination.''
International Games Day is at Dunedin Public Library today from 11am to 4pm.
- By Eleanor Ainge Roy
