Hi, I'm David and have over 30 years experience of table top gaming as I was playing games at an inappropriately young age and when table top gaming was no where near as popular as it is today in 2026.

After your basic kids games I was introduced to wargames and Warhammer (Games Workshop) where I loved these games, as a kid it seemed very cool. I was the Royal Air Force Wargaming associations Battletech Champion on a couple of occasions at their annual event. There is a big shield somewhere with my name engraved.

Then, as a teen, it didn't so I stopped but I hadn't fallen out of the love of playing games and being competitive. I fell in love with sports and fitness and they also feature a big part in my life as I love keeping active, playing badminton and watching the Rugby (as well as many other sports) as I need that balance in my life.

Then in 2000 I discovered Catan, what a treat. A game not focused on war and death and a game where I didn't need to spend days building and painting the playing pieces. I picked up my own set in 2005, along with other gems like Carcassonne and Steve Jackson's Illuminati. These were the games for me and very much still are. There are many other games in the collection now that my wife and I are very fond of.

Roll on to 2021 and we are parents with a very changed social life and board games are a key feature in our home now. They allow some escapism from life's every day challenge and provide us with some competitive fun away from screens. It was at this point I created my online profile to share our experiences (The Wellbeing Gamer) as I thought I was doing something quite original, turns out I was late to the party and I realize just how popular our hobby is which I feel is amazing. I use this profile as a way of highlighting how gaming can be positive for your mental health.

Through the Wellbeing Gamer I have learned more about the hobby than I thought possible and met some cool people along the way. My favourite games now include (on top of the above) Kavango, Zombicide, Marvel United, Ecosystem, Roborally, Smash Up to name some as well as a host of kids games played with the family. I love games that generally have a simple set of rules but are greater depth of strategy needed with multiple routes to victory. These are the games I love to write about for Zatu. Enjoy my blog page here and feel free to reach out to me.