A game of gastronomic gamble

Hoping to engage kids in a world of trade and business is Santhosh Kumar Subramanian’s Belly Battle, a board game that infuses his love for food and fun
A game of gastronomic gamble
A game of gastronomic gamble

Wouldn’t it be exciting to live in a world where you can build a restaurant empire, hire your own MasterChef and even earn a Michelin Star by just rolling a dice and moving a pawn? Well, St Cheeseburg, in the Republic of Belly, can be that dream destination to fill your appetite and aspirations. But, before you get all pumped up, Belly Battle — the board game that houses the fictional land — reminds you that nothing comes easy in this monopoly of food. 

A test for your taste buds 
Recently launched by Funskool and conceptualised by Santhosh Kumar Subramanian, the board game features 24 restaurants that specialise in six cuisines (Italian, Japanese, American, Mexican, Chettinad, Punjabi). Chola Bhavan, Patiala Dhaba, Texas Grills, Momo Mia, El Mexico…roll the dice and count on fate to decide your fortune. Detailing the ideation process, Santhosh says, “After five-six months of fine-tuning, the game was ready by last December. It’s designed by a Pune-based game artist and in-house artists from Funskool.” While the game can be played by all above the age of seven, children are the target audience. “We thought it would be easier if we introduced money and finance to them through food — something they can relate to comfortably,” he notes. 

The rules for the game are simple. Two to six players can compete in a race to buy the maximum number of restaurants. Mr Munchwalla (the banker) will be handling your transactions and keeping track of finances. Each player starts with 1,000 Brupees (the official currency). Once you begin and land on restaurants, corner cafes or special spaces you get to buy them or pay rent if it’s pre-owned. Players can upgrade their restaurants by roping in more chefs and earning star points, and even swapping them with other players. When a player goes bankrupt, the game ends. Needless to say, the player with maximum wealth wins. “Besides basic strategy and negotiation, there’s a certain level of complexity. If you land on special spaces then it gets tricky. You end up incurring a loss, exchanging property or even going bankrupt based on the instruction. Like real life, everything here boils down to money and managing it efficiently. We’ve received a great response from parents and children,” he says. 

Food meets fun
Santhosh believes that the game will help children understand the basics of financial concepts like rent and banking while letting them have fun. It can hone their planning and decision-making skills. “The pandemic has witnessed a spike in board game enthusiasts. I see it as a tool for storytelling as it’s an interactive platform. These games can be used to improve communication skills, leadership qualities and also bring in empathy and other moral values. Every move is calculated so there’s a lot of thought and concentration that goes into playing them tactfully,” he assures. 

Santhosh’s next board game is also based on food. “I have many foodie friends. The best part was to brainstorm the names of these 24 restaurants. I can bet that you wouldn’t find them anywhere in our city. I love Indian cuisine, so I wanted to incorporate Punjabi and Chettinad food. The rest of them were random. Food and fun can be a deadly combination,” shares Santhosh.

Belly Battle is priced at Rs 599. Available on Amazon and at Funskool outlets.

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