The Surge
A historian is asked why the game is everywhere, and her answer is about four chairs
An August feature puts numbers behind the boom, and points American readers straight at the card.
AAA Northeast's magazine published a feature on August 24 by Ellen R. Delisio asking why mahjong is suddenly so popular. It cites Yelp, which the article says recorded a 4,467 percent rise in mahjong searches on its site from September 2024 to August 2025, and an 819 percent rise in searches for lessons.
The article quotes Dr. Annelise Heinz, an associate professor of history at the University of Oregon and the author of a book on the game's place in American culture. Per the article, she describes a generation shaped by the isolation that comes with digital life, and she frames the appeal as bringing a regular group of four people together so that those relationships deepen over time. She also points to the plain sensory pleasure of the tiles, the way they feel and sound.
Two details in it matter for American players specifically. The article traces the American version to the 1930s and the founding of the National Mah Jongg League, and it notes that American games require a current year scoring card. It also reports research from the International Council of Shopping Centers finding that more men are taking up the game now.
OOTT is not affiliated with the National Mah Jongg League or with any organization named in that article.