Remember board games? Those things you used to play with your siblings on a rainy Saturday when you had nothing better to do?
Granted, new and innovative board games are in vogue right now. But alongside this, while enthusiasm for traditional board games is waning, interest in digital versions of them is skyrocketing. If you can’t be bothered to dig out a board game from your attic, locate all of the inevitably missing pieces, and play a few listless rounds before putting it away for another ten years, then video games based on board games might be exactly what you need.
Here are some classic board games that are truly better off in video game format.
Scrabble for Mobile
It’s unlikely that anyone reading this will need an explainer for how Scrabble works, given that it is one of the most widely-played board games of all time. The popular wordplay game is also a hit in the digital world though, with the official Scrabble app boasting at least 30 million players worldwide, making it one of the most consistently popular mobile games in history. The thing that makes Scrabble Mobile stand out from its physical counterpart is the fact that you can play against anyone in the world via the internet, which adds an extra layer of fun to the whole thing.
Monopoly for PC
There are numerous Monopoly games available on PC and console, but the most original to ever come out is undoubtedly Monopoly Live, a real-money online game available at MobileBet which combines augmented reality, live-action gameplay, and all of the best elements of the iconic original board game. It’s played much like the original, except players get to wager on what number a spinning wheel, operated by a real person, will land on. That number decides your fate and determines whether you will become a property tycoon or a nobody.
Clue for Sega Genesis
If you’re in the mood for a pure, unadulterated nostalgia injection, then get your hands on the 1992 Sega Genesis version of Clue, the classic murder mystery board game. The game is also available on PC for those who didn’t manage to hang onto their Sega Genesis console, meaning anyone can give it a go. The old-school chiptune music, beautifully-colored 8-bit graphics, and hilarious narration make this version a million times better than the original. You can play this one with other players or against the computer; the choice is yours.
Battleship for Xbox
The strategic board game Battleship is definitely one of the most intellectually stimulating of all of the classic board games. For some reason, this board game even inspired a 2011 movie starring pop singer Rihanna, which in turn inspired this Xbox 360 video game. While the original strategy elements of the board game are still there, they have also spiced things up by adding some FPS combat and open-world exploration, making this perhaps the most varied of all of the video games based on board games. This is ideal if you don’t have the attention span for a drawn-out strategy game.
There will undoubtedly be purists out there who believe that releasing a board game as a video game is a form of philistinism. However, these titles show that doing so can breathe new life into old classics, which is always welcome in the gaming world.
