On December 18, 2025, UGIS organized an engaging and memorable event titled International Board Game Day, bringing students together through fun, strategy, and cultural exchange. This event was designed as a form of home internationalization, providing a space for students to interact and build connections through international board games.
The event took place at Jatinangor House Wastukencana and was attended by 20 participants, consisting of students from various faculties and three international students from Singapore and Palestine. Starting in the afternoon, attendees enjoyed a variety of international board games that encouraged critical thinking, teamwork, and friendly competition, creating a warm and inclusive atmosphere.
To add a creative touch, participants followed a unique dress code inspired by the movie Inside Out, representing different emotions through colors and outfits. This concept successfully created a lively and playful vibe, making the experience even more enjoyable.
Throughout the event, the atmosphere was filled with laughter, excitement, and meaningful interactions, as participants bonded over games and shared cross-cultural experiences.
“I gained a new experience playing international board games because I usually only play simple games with friends. These games required more strategy and critical thinking, which made them more challenging but also more fun,” said Gina, a participant from the Faculty of Communication Science.
Through this event, UGIS once again demonstrated its commitment to fostering cross-cultural engagement and creating memorable experiences for students in a relaxed and interactive setting.
Featured Games
The event included five interactive games that tested players’ skills and creativity:
1. Sounds Fishy
In Sounds Fishy, players score points by identifying the single true answer hidden among fake responses invented by their opponents. This game of deception revolves around strange questions and obscure facts, often sparking entertaining conversations as players attempt to filter out the bluffs.
2. Trial by Trolley
Trial by Trolley transforms the classic philosophical dilemma into a game of moral decision-making. Players act as conductors or track-switchers, arguing to save their own team while sabotaging their opponents. The game challenges participants to justify difficult life-or-death choices, resulting in heated yet memorable debates.
3. Point City
Point City is a fast-paced card-drafting and engine-building game that is simple to learn yet offers deep strategic choices. Players take turns drafting cards to gather resources or construct buildings for their growing cities. The clever double-sided cards function as both resources and buildings, requiring careful hand management to build the most efficient city possible. With over 150 unique building cards, each session presents a fresh challenge as players compete to collect the most victory points.
4. Poetry for Neanderthals
Poetry for Neanderthals is a hilarious party game in which players must get their teammates to guess secret words and phrases using only single-syllable clues. If a player accidentally uses a multi-syllable word, the opposing team gets to hit them with a giant inflatable “NO!” stick. The game forces everyone to speak like cavemen, leading to frantic, broken sentences and endless laughter as players attempt to explain complex ideas using simple vocabulary.
5. That Escalated Quickly
That Escalated Quickly is a cooperative party game where players work together to rank unusual answers by intensity. One player reads a scenario, while the others are secretly assigned numbers from 1 to 5. Each player must create a response that matches their assigned intensity level—where “1” may be mild and ordinary, and “5” extremely dramatic. The reader must then arrange the answers in the correct order based solely on perceived intensity. The game encourages creativity, social awareness, and lively discussion.
A Resounding Success
International Board Game Day was executed smoothly and proved to be a success. Participants expressed high satisfaction, each taking away memorable experiences.
“Ooh yeah, I really had a fun time with all the members. It was a nice experience,” said Achref, one of the international students from the Faculty of Economics and Business.
“It was fun. I liked the games. The students didn’t really care about the points, so it was nice to play with people who didn’t take the games too seriously and just wanted to enjoy them,” said Melissa, an international student from the Faculty of Medicine.
“It was so fun! Board Game Day is one of the best ways to relax for students. As a dealer, during the initial practice I felt confused and did not understand how to play at all. But once I understood the game, it became really addictive,” said Daffa.
Evaluation
Feedback suggested that a larger number of participants would make the board game experience even more exciting.
“Maybe the concept could be made more engaging and detailed so other UGIS members can better understand the purpose of International Board Game Day,” said Ugas.
“I hope the next Board Game Day will be even more exciting and more crowded. It would also be more comfortable if the number of tables matched the number of games being played, so all board games could be played at the same time without having to wait for turns,” Daffa added.
Conclusion
This event demonstrated that board games are an effective medium for building connections and practicing English in an enjoyable way. The enthusiasm shown by the participants reflects the importance of creating interactive international activities on campus. We look forward to welcoming new faces at our next gathering and at other exciting KUI international events.
