Mom’s Viral Board Game Hack Starts an Online Controversy
Lifestyle creator and mom Kristie Gilmore never expected a simple organizing idea to spark a storm across TikTok. What began as a clever way to store board games quickly turned into a heated discussion, drawing in thousands of viewers who felt strongly about her space saving approach.
Why did this tidy little trick stir up so much conversation? Here is the story behind the viral moment everyone is talking about.
Some people were all about the nostalgia.
I totally get the feeling of wanting to keep everything in its original box.
There is something oddly comforting about it, isn’t there?
That little collector instinct we all seem to have… it’s real, and honestly kind of satisfying.
There is just something about seeing everything neatly stored the way it came, untouched and perfectly packaged.
It feels organized, it feels intentional, and it gives a tiny spark of joy every time you look at it.
So, I’m going to start by showing you one of the milder reactions to this hack.
Some people truly had feelings about this little hack.
A few thought it was honestly pretty smart…
and others disliked it so much you’d think it personally offended them.
It is kind of funny how one tiny idea can stir up such strong reactions, right?
Something so simple somehow turns into a whole debate, and everyone suddenly has a very passionate opinion about it.
What’s the hack, anyway?
Kristie began by opening her IKEA cabinets… and they were overflowing with board games.
Monopoly, Connect 4, Scrabble all those cozy, familiar classics we grew up with.
Just seeing them lined up like that instantly felt like a little peek into childhood memories tucked away on a shelf, the kind that makes you smile without even realizing it and reminds you of simple, happy moments from years ago.
Kristie got clever with some of the commenters.
Instead of letting the negativity get to her, she leaned right into it and embraced her playful, troll ish side.
You have to admire someone who can laugh at the wild reactions people have over something so small and so harmless.
It takes a certain kind of confidence to stay lighthearted when everyone else is spiraling, and honestly, she handled it perfectly.
Here’s what she did with the games:
She emptied every game box and slipped each one into a mesh bag she found on Amazon.
Inside each bag went the board, the pieces, the instructions, everything neatly together and easy to grab.
Such a small change, but it made the whole collection feel lighter, more organized, and so much easier to handle without all that bulky cardboard taking over the cabinet and eating up all the space.
People were BIG mad about it.
Some people were surprisingly upset, accusing Kristie of being “unsustainable” with her board game makeover.
But the funny part is that those mesh bags were already made she simply purchased them.
She did not create any extra waste at all she just found a way to make her space work better and keep everything organized without tossing anything important.
Luckily, Kristie had some defenders.
The people who loved Kristie’s creativity reminded everyone of one thing no one was being asked to toss out their own boxes.
She simply chose what worked best for her home, her space, her life.
And honestly, that’s kind of the whole point.
Others said they’ve done the same thing!
So many people mentioned how much easier it is to store puzzles like this.
They just print a picture of the box top and tuck everything into a single bag so they always know what the final image looks like.
Honestly… that is a pretty clever idea, and it makes the whole collection feel so much more manageable without all those giant boxes stacking up.
More than a few just wanted more details.
Some people wondered if this hack even worked in real life.
I mean… wouldn’t the game boards be way too big for those mesh bags?
It is an understandable question, especially when you are used to those thick, bulky boxes, and the idea of everything fitting neatly into a soft little bag feels almost impossible at first glance.
But Kristie made a follow-up video to prove it worked.
I think it’s just one of those moments where scale gets tricky on camera.
Things can look so different in an online video compared to real life.
When you hear “zipper bag,” your mind goes straight to sandwich bags… maybe a freezer bag at most.
It’s easy to forget they actually come in much bigger sizes.
These mesh bags seem to be much larger than what we might picture.
Plus, a lot of game boards are already bigger than their own boxes.
They are designed to fold down small so everything can fit neatly inside, even though the full board is much wider when opened.
So the idea of slipping them into a larger bag actually makes perfect sense and ends up being far more practical than keeping all that stiff cardboard around.
Though that doesn’t even appear to be required for these bags.
Kristie shared that she used the 11×16 size bags, and they even fit the stiff plastic boards from games like Guess Who and Scrabble.
Honestly… that is kind of impressive.
It proves the hack is not just cute for TikTok but actually practical for real life, which makes it even more satisfying to see.
At the end of the day, Kristie had fun with it.
With more than 395k followers on TikTok, she is almost definitely part of the creator fund.
And with her hack pulling in over 2 million views, let’s be honest…
Kristie is probably smiling all the way to the bank right now, and honestly she deserves it for coming up with something so simple yet so wildly effective.
For more creative home inspiration, don’t miss Secret Hiding Places That Feel Straight Out of a Mystery Novel
