How Netrunner took over my life – and why it should take over yours too

The bluffing of poker, great cyberpunk theme and a night out with friends combine to make Netrunner truly worthy of its un-geeky revival

Chris Underwood is worried about his wife. Doing his best to ignore the 50 Netrunner players around him, he wanders the Loading Bar in Dalston, east London, like a ghost, taking furtive sips from a pint of beer. He's the most anxious I've ever seen him, and I can't stop laughing.

Chris is the cheery veteran of a dozen Netrunner tournaments, all of them gruelling, eight-hour affairs that leave players exhausted. I've been by his side for most of them. But today is his wife Cathy's first tournament, and I'm having a great time watching him lose his mind.

It's not about mastery. It's about constant tinkering and experimentation

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