Board games have been an all time classic for family get togethers. Games like Monopoly, Life, Candy Land and others have become common household names. Recently the board game industry has been challenged by the technological revolution and board games may be at risk.
Early on in the computer era companies often tried to create simple versions of popular games that you could play on on a virtual board. Many of these games were limited to only computer interaction or had little player to player interaction. Imagine playing monopoly with six players crowded around a 17″ monitor. The electronic virtual versions were limted however, computer limitations often created slow load times and some games froze ending games prematurely. Board games appeared to be winning the battle.
Many board games began making new version in order to compete with the computer versions and attract new customers. Online games returned with a vengence to take the board game world by storm. New versions of online play began to emerge, instead of making your gamepiece bounce around the game board you could now watch as it took off screeching tires around the virtual game board. Many of the games offered online also allowed players to connect online with friends or strangers who shared the same interest in the game. It may have been the end of board games altogether.
Some how the board games prevailed and at least for now seem to strike a balance between their online counterparts. Some companies have even created types of board game hybrids which combine both technology and the board into one. The combination seems to eliminate some of the constant repetitive tasks that come with many games and allows the users to focus more on the actual play rather than trying to constantly keep score who see who has what card. Will board games and online games survive in harmony or will one eventually consume the other?
