“Nowadays, if you say you’re into games, people automatically think video games,” he said with a shrug as he played strategy games during Unity Games XIII, an event held at the Wakefield Sheraton in August. “It’s become almost like a lost art.”

He and three friends were in the midst of Taj Mahal, set in 18th-century northwest India. The goal of the game, which incorporates auctions, card play, and visits by the Grand Mogul, is to gain incredible power.