Five hours from Drake University, in the basement of my house, is a walk-in closet. Nearly 100 board games are packed precariously on four wrap-around shelves. Strategy, deck playing, dice and word games, my family has them all. At home, my family and I would play games multiple nights a week. We would make fun drinks, my favorite being hot chocolate with marshmallows in the winter, and joke around for hours.

Five hours from the board game closet is a girl without a car. At Drake, there are so many things to do and occupy my mind with, from studying for exams to walking around the farmers’ market with friends. It’s hard to miss home when you aren’t thinking about it. But in a moment of downtime, all I want to do is open a box and set the table with different games and snacks with friends. 

My room at Drake is already crammed full of plants, camping gear and art supplies. There is no room for board games of my own. Not to mention, most board games are around $40 to $60, not in a college budget. Once a semester, my family will come to visit, with two or three board games in tow to choose from for the weekend. But all this does is give me a taste of what I want to be doing all school year long.

Then, I found the Rook Room. A game lounge and cafe, the Rook Room has over 700+ board games, a full menu with snacks, appetizers and desserts, and a full bar with game-themed cocktails and non-alcoholic poptails and sodas. The Rook Room is co-owned by Annelise Tarnowski and Tony Tandeski, two Drake alumni.

With third spaces disappearing, the Rook Room is a new safe haven for those looking for community. The business supports an LGBTQ+ Equality & Inclusion Promise, as well as an Environmental Impact & Sustainability Promise. Their core values are to increase accessibility, as board games are for everyone.

After 4 p.m. Thursday through Sunday, players must purchase a PlayPass to enter. At $5 per person, the fee helps to replace missing or broken game pieces. However, outside of those PlayPass hours, customers can play for free.

For those worried about not knowing how to play a game yet, this is the perfect place for you. Each game is marked with a difficulty level, and everyone is welcoming and willing to answer any questions. And if you decide you don’t want to play, you can put it on the shelf and pick a new one.

For my 21st birthday, my parents drove the five hours to celebrate. Instead of doing the traditional bar crawl party, we went to the Rook Room, crowded around a table, and opened up a board game. It’s one of my favorite places to be.