A year spent indoors has caused board games to make a comeback, as toy companies have reported large increases in the number of games and puzzles sold over the past 12 months. 

Hasbro, the company that makes Monopoly, claimed sales of its core games increased by 30 percent in 2020. 

Chess also gained popularity: sales of boards increased by 87 percent in the U.S. after the Netflix show The Queen's Gambit aired in November 2020.

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Karine Meyer-Naudan, manager of a Parisian toy store called Le Bridgeur, said that this increase in interest was caused by the pandemic. "We've seen families getting together around board games," she said. "There has been this effect of curfew and confinement." 

And according to Vincent Petit, commercial agent for Blackrock Games, "board games have become one of the major assets for parents to occupy their children.

"Even couples are looking to keep themselves busy. And there is a big trend of games for two at the moment.

"With a thousand games coming out every year, people try to find the game that suits them and can keep them busy, other than online games." 

Video editor: Terry Wilson