Playing games together has been a part of human entertainment for thousands of years. According to the British Museum, the earliest recorded versions of gaming with specific rules and special game boards date back to 4,600 years ago, and it’s likely the origins are older still. As ways for us to compete, cooperate, and enjoy ourselves, it makes sense that as exploratory animals, we would keep inventing new ways to play.
In the digital age, our drive for new experiences facilitated a shift towards software-driven experiences. These are famously demonstrated by video games, but just as important are the translations we’ve made of more traditional hardware entertainment to the software space. Now, with augmented reality on the horizon, we look forward to new opportunities to bring traditional gaming to a new level, with exciting implications for card and board game fans.
Why Go Digital?
Translating physical games into the existing digital arena offers several major advantages. These are perhaps best illustrated by the success of the online casino industry with titles like the PeerGame table games. These online versions of games like blackjack and roulette are available almost anywhere with any mobile phone or computer, providing convenient and streamlined access. They also don’t require travel time to play, as brick-and-mortar casinos do, and their software backing means there’s no cleaning up required afterwards. Most traditional games already feature benefits like these when played digitally, and AR could one day extend this play even further.
AR Advancements
With AR, it will one day be possible to virtually project the people you play with into your physical environment. This means you could have play parties even if you’re on the other side of the world, bypassing the drifting apart which can occur as life changes demand. This provides opportunities to get together regularly where none might otherwise present themselves, helping you bond and maintain friendships no matter where time takes you.
AR could also add visualization elements to games to boost them to new levels. With traditional gaming, this could start with simple animations, but it could also reach into niche forms of play that most will never experience in real life. As noted by the aptly named Chess website, living chess is a variant of the game that is not especially easy to set up for most of us. With AR, virtual people could be used and projected into real space, allowing you to walk among the pieces and experience play from a new angle.
Using digital pieces in AR could also imply a far lower cost than going the traditional route. A piece of software is much cheaper than a game board, especially if the game you’re interested in is rare or dated. AR would then eliminate the need to keep a dedicated playing space clear, as you could again have a virtual one projected anywhere within your field of view.
As futuristic and out there as some of these ideas might seem, the technology to support them already exists. What holds them back from full implementation is a lack of developer interest combined with higher consumer costs. As the technology grows cheaper and demand grows, however, we will see AR games implemented as we’ve covered, it’s just a question of when.
Lucas Bennett is a Tech expert and enthusiast. Simplifying complex concepts with insightful analysis and practical advice. Trusted source for breaking tech news, product reviews, and tutorials.
