It is one of those days in London when if you stood on the edge of the pavement you would inevitably end up getting soaked by any vehicles driving by. Everything is drenched. Londoners are moving on the streets tactically like if they were on a board game. Jumping over puddles, bending down when they come across somebody with a big umbrella, sliding on the walls of the houses, stopping under the canopy covers of shops to find shelter or just walking as if they have some super powers that prevent the small raindrops falling on their bodies.
Within the Vagabond N7 café on Holloway road, the rainy outside looks strangely fun. All these movements, this quick pitter-pattering and rushing, seems crazy for some but can hide something magical for others.
Barrington Campbell, 31 enters the crowded room while The Guardians of the Galaxy soundtrack is playing in the background. "Sorry, I'm late. I am really busy" he says. He is holding a cup of tea that looks tiny in his big hands. He really is busy. Barrington is working full time while trying to set up Kagai Games, a company that produces board games and donates 25% of profit to the National Autistic Society. His dream? Save enough money, quit his current job, make board games 24/7 "until I die". His prototype was inspired by the story of Koi and the Yellow River from Japanese and Chinese folklore.
The reason behind his project comes from his younger years. He grew up in the East End and then moved to Canonbury where he was bullied and had to change schools. He was diagnosed with Asperger when he was 29-years-old. Until that moment, he struggled socially without knowing the reason. His life completely changed when he spent some time at the hospital after attempting to commit suicide in his mid-20s. He joined a board games club. "I create my first board game because I was asked what I like doing. I said I like playing board games. I played a lot, so they asked me if I have ever thought to create one. So, I made one. Six hours later, I made another one. So far, I have made fifty-seven board games”.
He takes out a notebook from his backpack: "It is not the only one. These are other ideas and bits". The pages are covered with drawings and rules, unknown worlds and characters. "It is like a jigsaw; you put pieces together until you see a picture that has changed a lot of time but eventually you will come up with the best version of that original idea."
Why are board games so important to him? "There is a system of relief that makes you feel part of something without worrying to socialise or be sociable. Mental stimulation that is needed to develop people properly is overlooked. You don’t get to speak of social anxiety or autism. These people they do not have the tools to develop comfortable interactions, that is what happens with board games."
He works with the National Autistic Society, helping people that struggle to build up social relationships and integrate with society. Barrington is hoping to become an ambassador aiming to create a travelling group that will spend time in schools showing people the power of board games. He wants people to feel they are part of something no matters the struggle or the influence coming from social media and society: "People have problems because it is all about them as personalities rather than about them as figures of support that can give out information that makes people feels more comfortable with themselves."
The rain has stopped. Barrington rushes to his next appointment. He leaves the rules of his latest creation: "Steven Universe, Gem Fusion". He goes back to the outside world, his playground where everything can be shaped into colourful cards and pieces that become short but powerful adventures.
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