Where play matters.
Board games, workshops and a festival – Cluj’s community for meaningful play. We bring people to the same table because we believe play brings connection, learning and wellbeing with it.
The meaningful-play community · Cluj
Pick your way in
Events
There’s a seat at the table for you. On 26–27 September, at Zbor Hub Cluj, join us for the first Play Matters Fest – board games seen as an experience, a tool, and a language.
See what's coming →Programmes
Workshops where you don’t just listen: you try, you fail, you laugh, you learn by doing.
Details →Resources
Why is play essential? Discover well-researched answers, explained simply and clearly.
Start reading →First edition · 26–27 September 2026
Play Matters Fest
We believe games can help us listen, be patient, negotiate, lose, try again, and change our strategy – without feeling anything like a lesson. That is why we created Play Matters Fest.
On 26–27 September, at Zbor Hub Cluj, we are coming together for a first edition dedicated to board games and the ways they can become more than simply a very good way to spend time together.
Find out more
Why play matters
We believe that play is more than a break.
Connection
People listen differently at a table. A game makes room for the conversations that otherwise never start.
Play and connection →Wellbeing
In a city that never slows down, a pause for play is worth taking seriously.
Play and wellbeing →A city at play.
Play Matters comes to life through people who choose to meet beyond their screens – around a table, with a game that brings them together. Come play, bring a game from home, or join the team behind the next event.
Get involvedFresh from the Table
Essays and reviews about games and what happens around the table.
Reviews
Everdell: Seasons of Endless Charm
Everdell, the game that unlocked it all: on patience, pace and building a life one small piece at a time. An essay by Ioana Vulturar.
Reviews
Walking Through Art: Why PARKS Is More Than a Game
PARKS beyond mechanics: on art, nature and the tactile joy of a beautiful game. An essay by Ioana Vulturar.
Reviews
Wingspan – When Birds Get Intense
Wingspan: charming on the surface, intense underneath. On components, illustration and quiet competition. An essay by Ioana Vulturar.
Support meaningful play
Meaningful play happens because people choose to back it. You can direct 3.5% of your Romanian income tax to Play Matters – that redirects tax you already owe, rather than adding a payment – or partner with the community.
Redirect 3.5%
Partnerships →