Adults are trying to regain something of their childhoods, spurred on by a desire for certainty, creativity and an escape from responsibility. But as ‘Innocent’ discourses become well-trodden, brands are seeking new ways to help them regress.

Board games conjure up images of a bygone era, the annual Christmas Monopoly tournament or family holidays spent playing Snakes & Ladders. But in 2013 more money was raised on Kickstarter for tabletop games than video games. How has the digital world instigated nostalgia for the past?

Trying to escape from a locked room might sound like a scene from a horror movie, but people in the US are paying good money to live out this fantasy. What’s the appeal of ‘escape the room’ games, and how do they fit into an entertainment market soon to be dominated by virtual reality?

Over-connected consumers are looking to chill out – and achieve more in the process. Brands are capitalising on our collective exhaustion and building big brownie points as they do so. But how did space and silence – very simplistic commodities – become the ultimate luxury?