NYC24 reports on a surge in popularity of board games, quizzes, and trivia nights in NYC barrooms, where people are searching for organized social face-to-face experiences.

Michael Evanchik, one of the organizers of the popular debate night at Lolita Bar on the Lower East Side said people like to be challenged, even while hanging out with friends. “We were sick of having inane conversations in bars,” he said, explaining how debate night got off the ground, “so we thought, ‘Wouldn’t it be great to go out and actually talk about interesting things?'”

(source, hat tip)