How indoor games helped people dealing with the nationwide shutdown

"When the situation was getting normal, however, curfew was there, and I had nothing to do but play games in my home. I love to imitate my favourite heroes and adopt their signature poses to make my team guess the movie." Md. Imran, a freelance writer, describes when he used to play Dumb Charade, a movie guessing game, to pass his time when the nation was shut off both online and offline.  

Since all educational institutions and some offices remained closed due to the recent unrest, which included blockades, protests, curfews, and internet blackouts, most people spent their leisure time playing various indoor games.

In the movie guessing game Dumb Charade, players are only permitted to act or display various signs to their teammates, but speaking is not permitted.

Adil Mahmud, a first-year student of BBA at Bangladesh University of Business and Technology, said, "I played this game with my friends during the recent curfew after learning about it from a Bollywood movie. I find the guessing stage of the game most entertaining."

Ludo is another well-liked indoor game. It can now be played online or offline using mobile apps. "Ludo was my dearest buddy through those miserable days of the internet shutdown. One of my favourite games during my leisure time was ludo with my friends and family. It got more intriguing as we had nothing else to do." said Fairuz Mahzabin, a first-year Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University Fisheries student.

Indoor games play a significant role in rebuilding relationships, especially when we talk about large families. Also, depending too much on smartphones became very stressful during the shutdown period.

"I spent most of this shutdown playing Carrom because I loved it so much, and it was a great way to pass the time during the breaks. I believe that there are moments when we should put down our phones and take an interest in these kinds of indoor games," said Ahsanul Karim, a student at the Dhaka Alia Madrasah's Department of Al-Quran and Islamic Studies.

In the tabletop game Carrom, players flick disks to knock the board's corners.

People left their cell phones since there was an internet shutdown. Instead of using their phones to pass the time, most people played familiar indoor games like Dumb Charades, Ludo, Snakes and Ladders, Chess, Carrom, Cards, UNO, Scrabble, Monopoly, and many more. "My family and friends live in Dhaka. The closure of educational institutions became a good opportunity for me to spend time with my loved ones. Playing indoor games like Scrabble, Ludo, Carrom, Uno, and Ludo with my family and friends during this closure was a great experience because playing outdoors was not an option," said Najibah Tasnim, a second-year BBA student at the University of Rajshahi.

July and August have been the most challenging months for the people of this country. Getting disconnected from loved ones and taking extreme life risks have become a part of the day. It was like the dark clouds taking up the sky. Now, things might change, temporary or permanent; we don't know. However, the general people have passed their days while battling with their situation, which we can appreciate.

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