People have been playing games for thousands of years, but what about them has made them last for so long? I would say that they are typically stimulating and fun, diverse in the ways they reach various audiences and entertain people of all ages. Games would not have stuck around for so many years if there wasn't something about them that drew people in and kept them coming back for more. Whether it's for the competition and thrill of playing (and winning) the game or getting in some quality time with the folks you are playing with, games of all kinds have persevered the test of time.
My favorite non-video games to play growing up were probably Uno (card game), Pick Up Stix, and The Game of Life. I remember as a kid always having these games accessible. I liked games that featured lots of color and forced you to think and strategize. The colors captivated me and the stimulation kept me playing. Much like a video game, I was tantalized by cool "graphics" and a clear goal. I also liked that it was an easy way to bond with whoever I was playing with. It was also an obvious fun way to pass time during boring family get togethers at my grandma's house. Although some board games appear to be making the transition to video games (such as the Monopoly or Words With Friends phone applications), I do not think that all of these games are conducive to playing online. Sure, something single player like a Crossword or Sudoku would be really easy to implement onto an online platform. However, with multiplayer games, there is the drawback of not getting that instant gratification of having the player complete their turn and know that theirs will return again once the players sitting beside them have made their moves. Board games occupy far more time but they are in chunks -- instead of playing a single game over a period of days (or sometimes weeks!), the game starts and finishes within a couple of hours. In this way, I do not think that online games could replace board games, so I do not see them fading away into history quite so easily. On the flip side, video games can also be seen as superior to board games because of their flexibility and complexity. While a board game is typically set and has repetitive gameplay, a video game has the complexity of levels and often times a storyline. Though both video and board games have "goals", video games tend to have multiple goals that can and will change over time. In this way, I think video games have more staying power. However, once you beat the game, it is unlikely that the player will return. Unlike a board game, the "newness" of a video game tends to be what keeps the player around. You typically play to win, while a board game can have a win or lose outcome. I am guilty of not having played board games in a while. Because of their lack of portability, I tend to stick to my phone games instead of a board or card game. However, when we played games on Thursday (I played Pandemic), I had a ton of fun and wanted to keep playing once class was over. That probably partially had to do with us losing and me wanting to win, but it was still enjoyable. Yay, games!
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AuthorJulianna Yee. ArchivesCategories |