There was a time when Physical games were all human beings knew and lived by.
Spending time outside, running in the sun, or playing in puddles was a fun and exciting time.
Now, technology is slowly creeping into the gaming world. We are starting to see physical games being turned into mobile and online versions. For those of us who enjoyed physical games more, such as cards, scrabble, and so on, there is a certain factor of perceived boredom that seems to emanate from this intrusion. After all, nothing beats running after each other playing “it”.
Given that physical games have been with us longer than modern technology, will this same technology be the boring factor added to them?
Technology Has Made Games More Accessible
Have you ever visited a different country and learned that some of the games you enjoyed as a child are unknown to them?
Other times, you visit a completely different setting and find people playing the games you used to play as a child, maybe with a different name or different rules. While this has happened before, the former scenario is likely to happen more often because people are different.
Now, with technology, this is bound to change. By turning some of these games into online versions, we make them accessible to everyone around the world, synchronize the rules and learn more about how different people play.
Therefore, you won’t be surprised to walk along the streets of Cairo, for example, and find children playing tag on the streets.
Technology Has Opened Games to New Markets
Technology has the potential to not only make games more accessible but to also open the games to new markets. Before technology came into the scene, some of our physical childhood games were only popular in certain regions. Each region or country had its own set of games to play and there wasn’t much sharing.
However, now that technology is allowing better sharing of information, things have changed. Games that were only limited by regions are now accessible to everyone around the world provided they have internet. Different sites and platforms such as GameQuarium have a wide selection of games to pick from.
Technology Has Introduced a Level of Laziness to Games
It is possible to spend 12 hours playing a video game, thanks to technology, something that was almost unheard of back in the day. Back then, people moved and run outside. They were more aware of time passing and would hardly spend countless hours playing games.
Technology seems to have turned this on its head by allowing players from around the world to play without moving. Unless you feel hungry or have to visit the bathroom, there’s a chance that you can play Call of Duty for hours on end.
This level of laziness is usually caused by an addiction to gaming.
Technology Has Enhanced Physical Games
Innovative technology has brought the gaming world through some interesting changes. Games are no longer what they used to be, at least not just what they used to be. They are a pastime activity for some people, a source of income for others, and a way to teach for others.
While these changes are available for newer games, they have also affected the old physical games. One level of enhancement comes in the way we learn how to play games. Technology has made it easier for people to learn how to play traditionally physical games without wasting too much time.
Games such as Chess could only be played physically. Teaching anyone to play chess required a one-on-one sitting with someone knowledgeable and it would take time to learn. Now, children can learn chess all by themselves by just going online. They can also play against anyone in the world and at all levels.
Another level of enhancement comes in the preservation of games. With technology, you no longer have to worry about putting away game pieces after you are finished. You simply close an app and everything will be neatly arranged the next time you decide to play.
This makes it less inconvenient for gamers since in the past, losing a gaming piece would affect how one played the game. Games such as Monopoly that have many game pieces are now easier to play with zero risk of losing any game pieces.
By doing so, technology has enhanced the way people play physical games.
Conclusion
Will technology make physical games more interesting or will it make them more boring?
Considering the effects it has had on the games so far, it is hard to see it ruining the games we knew and loved so much. We can only expect that the games will be more interesting and fun as we move forward.