Gaming is an incredibly popular hobby today. Some estimates suggest that around 40% of the world’s population plays video games, at least occasionally. In advanced regions like the United States and Europe, that percentage climbs above 60%.
Among these billions of players, you’ll find just about every imaginable genre being enjoyed, from simple puzzles all the way up to intense first-person shooters.
But another incredibly popular area of gaming is digital recreations of classics. Despite the vast and open landscape for gamers to wander forever, many still choose to walk down the well-trodden and familiar paths.
It’s a testament to just how engaging, exciting, and challenging these decades, or even centuries-old titles are given that they manage to hold their own with so many other options available.
And it’s technology that we have to thank for this. Through some of the more recent innovations we’ve seen, including the internet, smartphones, and even virtual reality, our traditional pastimes live on in the modern world.
There are hundreds of examples of this, but here are some of the most notable.
1. Chess
Chess is a game that was first played around 1,500 years ago. It is likely a descendant of checkers/draughts, as the two games use the same board and have a few similarities.
However, chess is a much more advanced game and requires a lot more strategic thinking. This is because, unlike checkers, each chess piece has a different value and rules on how it can move.
Over the one and a half millennia that people have been playing chess, it has evolved somewhat, with the original Indian pieces (which included elephants) being replaced with the standard set we know today.
Technology has also changed chess, making it easier for people to find opponents to take on, no matter where they are in the world. Websites and apps like Chess.com use several modern technologies to achieve this, including the internet, HTML5, and smartphones.
2. Roulette
Roulette is another game that’s been around for quite some time. It was actually created by accident when a French inventor called Blaise Pascal was trying to develop a perpetual motion machine.
Although Pascal came to discover his initial aim was impossible, the fruit of his labor turned out to be great for playing games. This led to the creation of roulette. The game uses a wheel with differently numbered pockets and a ball that is spun in the opposite direction until it comes to a rest.
The ball lands in one of these slots and the corresponding number pays out to anyone who placed bets on it.
Technology has changed roulette in several ways over the years. Firstly, the wheel is now often spun electronically, either through the dealer pressing a button or a completely automatic system. But that’s not all. The same technology that allows players to enjoy chess online facilitates the same for roulette.
Some iGaming companies have taken this even further. By using virtual reality, they have recreated the full casino gaming experience with a full 360-degree environment for players to look at and move around in.
3. Monopoly
Monopoly isn’t as old as the other two games, but it’s still been around longer than most of the people that play it today. Released in 1935, it is a board game in which players channel their inner capitalist to build a property empire.
As they make their way around, players are afforded the opportunity to buy unoccupied businesses and estate which they can then use to charge the other players rent.
A game of Monopoly can go one for several hours, though it can often end in an argument – much like real business transactions.
Just like roulette and chess, Monopoly has been transformed by technology to make it available to play online. However, there are some unique ways that developers have deployed this tech.
Firstly, there is a mobile version of Monopoly that can be played by multiple people while using just one phone. Instead of using the internet, the Monopoly app can be run on a single handset and passed around, similar to how you’d each take turns with the dice.
Other unique versions of the game have been created, including one that uses maps and GPS to bring the fun to the real world, allowing players to build empires in their own neighborhoods.
