How Board Games Have Made The Jump To The Video Game World
A constant source of family fun, board games have always provided an excellent way to get two or more people around the table and sit them down for games of wit, strategy, and fun. However, as our entertainment takes on an increasingly digital nature, it feels like board games are falling by the wayside for many. That said, the rise and dominance of video games doesn’t mean that board games can be abandoned, especially when so many of them end up becoming video games, themselves.
They inspired a whole genre
Before we get into the more traditional board game options, let’s not forget that many games as we know them today were inspired directly by tabletop roleplaying games, like Dungeons & Dragons. From it came games like Wizardry, Final Fantasy, and the entire RPG genre. Even in modern gaming, Baldur’s Gate 3 is an adaptation of the Dungeons & Dragons Fifth Edition ruleset, right down to rolling dice to see whether or not you succeed at skill checks. Whether you count this as a real board game or not is a different question.
The direct adaptations
When it comes to more traditional board games, there have always been plenty of those, as well. For instance, there’s been no shortage of Monopoly games throughout the generations, and now online play is making them easier to share with far-flung friends and family, too. There are plenty of free options for the copyright-free kind of board game, as well, with options like Christmas checkers able to put a festive spin on it. If you enjoy a popular old board game, there’s a very good chance you will find a digital version of it.
Simulating all kinds of board games
Of course, if you’re looking for something a little more obscure, then you might find that it hasn’t yet been adapted into a digital version. Depending on whether or not the rightsholders are alive or defunct, it might not be getting one any time soon. But this is where Tabletop Simulator can come into play. This game allows you to simulate the act of playing any physical board game but in a digital space. It’s a highly modded, game, too, with people able to download modules for practically any board game that you can think of.
Board games that are no longer board games
It’s not quite as common, but occasionally you will find games that are based on board games that keep much of theming and visuals, but no longer play like a board game, at all. For instance, there are many cases of popular board games that have been turned into slot machines, of all things. Many of the other straight adaptations of board games to video games will have distinctly more video game-y modes, as well.
Board games are becoming video games in all manner of ways, as the examples above should show. If you’re ever looking to convince some friends or family for class board gaming fun, then introducing it as a videogame might be the way to go.