Pull up a couch at Drop Bear Squad
Drop Bear Squad is a free games club for adults in Mount Barker, South Australia. Five nights a week we gather in a hall on Hutchinson Street to play cooperative video games from the couch and light board games around long tables. There is no fee, no pressure and no experience needed. A volunteer mentor sits beside every newcomer, and Thursday evenings are set aside for people returning to games after a long break. Come once, watch if you like, and stay for as long as it feels comfortable.
Stay for the whole evening
At ten to six the heater in the club room has been ticking for an hour, and the first controllers are already lined up along the arm of the big couch. I stand at the door on Hutchinson Street with a clipboard I no longer need, because by now I know most of the faces. The first person through is often somebody who has not played anything in years.
Newcomers are met before they have taken off their coats. A mentor, one of the volunteers who give up their evening for exactly this, walks each person to a seat, hands over a name badge and explains the night in two minutes: which screen is running a cooperative story, which table is learning a light board game, and where the tea is kept.
From seven the room settles. Two or three people share a couch and a single screen, passing the controller every few minutes, while at the long table a mentor teaches a short board game by playing the first round face up. Nobody is timed, nobody is ranked, and a mistake is simply the next thing somebody explains.
By ten the chairs are stacked, the boxes have been counted back onto their shelves and the last few players are arguing happily about what to try next week. I switch off the heater, lock the door and walk home. The evening has cost nobody anything, because Drop Bear Squad is free to join, for adults aged 18 and over, and always will be.
A mentor on every night
Experienced volunteers sit beside newcomers until the room feels familiar.
Couch first
Cooperative games on a big screen, built for passing the controller around.
Back after a break
Thursday is kept for players returning to games after years away.
Games that wait for everyone
On the screen we keep to cooperative video games: story campaigns, puzzle-solving pairs and party games that reward noise more than skill, all played from the couch with controllers handed along the row. At the tables we choose light board games, the kind where the rules fit on a single card and the first round teaches the rest.
None of it demands a fast thumb or a long history. Every game is picked because a beginner can contribute within ten minutes, and the mentors adjust the pace as the night goes on, so that nobody at the screen is carried and nobody at the table is left behind.
Couch co-op
One screen, shared controllers and a story to finish together.
Light board games
Short rules, quick rounds and plenty of friendly table talk.
Puzzle pairs
Two heads and one controller, working a clever level out.
The open table
Bring a favourite from home and teach it to the room.
How we keep the room friendly
Everyone is a beginner at something. Ask any question at any time, and answer the questions of others the way you would like yours answered: plainly, patiently and without a sigh.
Games are shared. Controllers travel along the couch, board game turns are never hurried, and a player who is struggling receives a hint from a mentor rather than a remark from the table.
Treat the club room as a borrowed room. Return every box to its shelf, wipe the table, carry your cups back to the tea corner and leave the couch as comfortable as you found it.
The chat server follows the same manners as the room. Keep it kind and on topic, and tell a moderator if anything makes you uncomfortable so that the matter can be settled quietly.
Find the club room
38 Hutchinson Street, Mount Barker SA 5251
+61 8 8391 5247 · hello@dropbearsquad.com
Tuesday to Saturday, 6 pm – 10 pm; closed Sunday and Monday
Questions about playing
- Is it really all right if I have not played for years?
- Yes. A large part of the club is made up of people in exactly that position. Thursday is set aside for them, the pace is slow, and a mentor will sit beside you until the controller feels familiar again.
- Which kinds of games do you play on the screen?
- Mostly cooperative ones: story campaigns, puzzle pairs, racing for fun and party games with simple controls. We describe them by genre rather than by title, and the mentors choose whatever suits the people in the room.
- May I simply watch for the first night?
- Of course. Many people sit on the end of the couch with a cup of tea and watch before they pick up anything. Nobody will pressure you, and the offer of a turn stays open all evening.
- What if a game turns out to be too hard?
- Tell the nearest mentor. Difficulty can be lowered, the rules can be explained a second time, or the group can switch to something gentler. The aim is a good evening for everyone, not a finished level.
- Do I have to take part in the league?
- No. The league runs on Saturday evenings for those who want a little structure, and the other four nights are open play with no scores. Joining the club never obliges you to enter the league.
- Must I bring a controller or any games of my own?
- Nothing is required. The club room supplies controllers, screens, tables and a shelf of board games, all free to use. You are welcome to bring a favourite from home, but that is entirely optional.
How the club room changes with the weather
| Part of the year | Hours | What to expect |
|---|---|---|
| Frosty winter evenings | 6 pm – 10 pm | The heater runs from the first arrival and the long cooperative campaigns begin. |
| Wet and windy weeks | 6 pm – 10 pm | Rounds stretch out, because nobody is in a hurry to walk back into the rain. |
| Spring, when the town wakes up | 6 pm – 10 pm | League sign-up opens and the new teams are drawn on a Saturday. |
| Long warm evenings | 6 pm – 10 pm | The doors stay propped open and lighter, louder games fill the gaps. |
| Total fire ban days | Announced by midday | If the forecast is severe the room stays shut and the night moves to the chat server. |
| The weeks around the holidays | 6 pm – 10 pm | Fewer regulars come, so mentors spend the time teaching first-time games. |
| Season finals | 6 pm – 10 pm | The league ends on a Saturday and the winners choose the next game night. |
A few evenings in pictures
What every newcomer starts with
Think of your first nights as a game with four hearts. Three are full the moment you walk in; the fourth fills itself once the room feels like yours.
Miss a turn and you lose nothing. Here the hearts only ever refill.