I've never been particularly fond of numbers, preferring words and images over formulas and calculations. However, money has a way of appealing to us, bringing out the profit-hungry entrepreneur in all of us.
I'd been planning a business move for ages. Having come by a decent sum of money, I decided that investing in a high-value property area would be a good idea (with the hope that the return would be profitable). I was lucky; the market favoured me. Desperate tenant after desparate tenant landed on my doorstep - agreeing to pay my market-conscious inflated prices.
Now, before you judge me as some horrid modern-day equivalent of a long-limbed Victorian villain, black suited and shamelessly running workhouses that steal the very desire to live from the poor, you should probably know I'm a Scotty dog - a superior Monopoly piece - but hardly a sinister one.
My tactics were ultimately decided by dice and the colour of the property under my padded feet.
Remember Monopoly? That game with the top-hat-wearing, moustache-adorned man and his odd selection of game pieces? The one where you buy hotels and laugh evilly as you run your own family members out of business? Well, yeah, of course you do; you can get it off iTunes or Google Play - reasonably priced, too - and you can play with friends all over the world!
It would seem that the age of (physically present) boardgames has passed. Indeed, in sufficiently connected markets, it seems as if playing Scrabble online is more likely than meeting in person for a game. The same goes for Trivial Pursuit and Monopoly - there's even a digital version of Talisman in the works (not to mention Settlers of Catan).
So, is this a problem? Not really. It allows for older and younger generations to connect through technology, with both feeling comfortable. It keeps brands relevant, with the big classics still known to the youth of today (and their parents) - in terms of marketing, it's highly productive for the various game-rights owners. These mobile versions and their enabling of 'anywhere, anytime' play styles means the traditional 'boardgame night' and 'family time' ethos that was so common in times of old is all but gone.
With this bridging of generations process in mind, games titan Hasbro recently ran a competition centered on the future of the Monopoly brand, namely: which pieces will survive a modernising process. A new piece came in, and an old piece went out. After considerable efforts from fans and businesses that identified with certain player pieces, and a voting flurry, the verdict was out.
A moment of silence for the Iron; say welcome to the Cat, everybody.
Is mobile the logical extension of boardgames? After all, we talk to each other, share experiences, take pictures and invite people out using mobile devices (or even just plain digital devices) - why would using mobile devices for group-based and traditionally board-restricted games be a problem?
Experience has shown that if you don't adapt in this day and age, you're not going to be around much longer, or at the very least, you should expect to lose out on what could be a valuable and significant source of revenue. The contentious Dungeons and Dragons 4th ed. is a prime example of this.
Hasbro subsidiary Wizards of the Coast started off well, releasing digital tools to complement the core rulebooks of D&D4, but then stopped, leaving fans wondering what was to come next. After they took too long, previously existing 'online tabletop systems' adapted to the new rule set and filled that role.
Meaning Hasbro lost out on what could have been a potentially lucrative market (especially if it integrated all of its content with its own online table-top system). One such platform, EpicTable, is incredibly detailed but retails for a whopping R560 (you need a licensed version to host games, but not join them, meaning a group's 'Dungeon Master' is the only one needing such a copy).
They may have learnt their lesson though, announcing in early 2012 that 'D&D Next' was under development and would be at least partially designed according to feedback from public play-testing, which they then began a few months later. Making the content freely available is a good step, but what about software solutions (as opposed to browser ones)?
Mobile boardgames are fine, but what about those games that require more creativity and engagement, like Dungeons and Dragons? Sketching room-grids and planning enemy encounters on the go - can that be done on a smartphone or a tablet? In theory, yes, but it doesn't seem to have happened yet.
Would you make the transition from offline to online? My own memories of boardgames have always been borne from boredom and suffered from irregular pacing and the occasional temper tantrum (I have siblings). Is it the game that was important, or the act of group play? Does that same familial feeling exist over the Internet? That's up for the social media analysts to decide, but I say no - vicarious browsing and attention-seeking updates don't blend as nicely with boardgames.
Share