A home bar would be considered one of the ideal choices to make that passion of yours perfect. The phenomenon of making a bar at home has seen an increase in popularity in recent years, especially during the lockdown period. For beer lovers, a home bar can turn into an extension of their hobby, where they will get the chance to consume beer in a more dedicated fashion. Estimates vary, but some studies suggest that up to 28% of American homes have a home bar setup. Those setups will vary dramatically, of course, ranging from people with de facto full bars on their property to a small section in a room dedicated to serving drinks.
Nevertheless, many view a home bar as the perfect social space. Aside from serving your latest brew and entertaining guests, the home bar can also be enhanced with games and gaming accessories. From board games to arcade classics to old-school pub favorites, we have some ideas below on how games can turn a home bar into a brilliant entertainment sphere. You are not obliged to have all of these games. Indeed, you’d have to question if the space is available, but they can add some life and character to any home bar:
Vintage Pinball Still Rocks
Here’s the thing about pinball, and this might be almost blasphemous given its place as an icon of mid-century bar culture and Americana: it can lose its appeal after a while. Still, the game carries a novelty that naturally draws guests in at some point during the evening. In spaces shaped around homebrewing and craft beer, features like pinball can help recreate the relaxed, social atmosphere many enthusiasts appreciate in taprooms, offering another reason to gather, share a fresh pour, and talk brewing without taking attention away from the beer itself.
Chess Can Complement Your Style
Chess has not quite gone the way of Monopoly, which has game boards available covering every IP you can think of – from The Sopranos to Hershey’s chocolate – but you can find branded chess, too, often handmade to order. There are some examples of gorgeously crafted Lord of the Rings chess sets, for instance. Even if you go for a classic set, it adds a cerebral element to your setup, pairing surprisingly well with the slow, thoughtful enjoyment that fans of craft beer or recipes featuring smoked malt often appreciate.
Pac-Man Has Timeless Charm
Ask any child of the 80s what they’d like in their bar, and a Pac-Man machine will be top of the list. There is basically an entire industry that has evolved to make those dreams come true. The machines have varied retail prices, but a solid one can be picked up for less than $1000, often cheaper if second-hand. Original Pac-Man machines are collectors’ items, making them much more expensive.
Mario Kart Offers Frantic Mayhem
Having an SNES console can deliver some of the best gaming experiences for a group party. If we were forced to choose one title to have on the console for ultimate communal fun, it’d be Super Mario Kart. You can, of course, go for contemporary Mario Kart games on later Nintendo consoles like the Switch, but it’s hard to beat the charm of the original on a retro console.
A Monitor and Browser Open Unlimited Gaming Experiences
If you don’t want to splash out on a vintage arcade machine or retro console setup, a simple monitor connected to the internet can basically provide unlimited gaming. From World of Warcraft to blackjack at a social casino, you can basically access anything you want, often for free.
Air Hockey
Ok. You’ll need more space than a typical home bar might offer, so you might have to think about the logistics before you buy. However, if you have the space and budget, you should note that there are multi-purpose gaming tables on sale, which can be converted for air hockey, pool, table tennis, and other table-based games. Those usually sell at close to $3,000, though.
Darts
A cheap and social activity, darts still make sense as an affordable way to entertain oneself. A good-quality dartboard usually costs about $50 and can be added to many locations, including home bars, taprooms, garages where home brewing happens, and brewery lounges. Darts promote conversations, healthy competition, and social gatherings, and that’s partly why darts are often found at craft beer establishments. Home brewers can add darts to their brew-day routine.
When brewing goes on or when cleaning takes place, a few rounds of darts can keep visitors entertained and occupied without having to pay additional money for entertainment options. Many craft beer establishments include games such as darts in their business model in order to promote social interaction and encourage patrons to stick around and sample their products.
