There are more online games these days than you can shake a stick at, as games developers the world over go to incredible lengths to catch the eye of the gaming community and get the ball rolling on a new series of games. The online versions of the slot machines of yesteryear have now proliferated to such a degree that comparison websites and apps are needed to sort out which slots providers are up to scratch, while at the same time offering the best deals for players to use.
The hope, of course, is that a game will become so popular that it can be turned into a brand, which in turn can deliver incredible levels of longevity. However, there are some games that take the notion of longevity to a whole new plane – games that began life centuries or millennia ago, and whose playability and limitless vagaries have made them enticing for generation after generation.
When the dawn of the internet age came to pass, it was thought that the likes of card games, board games, and tile games would be resigned to the history books, having been wiped out by graphically dazzling video games. Here we show that the exact opposite happened and that instead classic and ancient games did what they do best: adapted and morphed into even better versions of themselves. Here are some of the classic and ancient games that have reinvented themselves online.
Chess is just one of the ancient games that are making a sustained come back online with no sign of its progress slowing anytime soon
Board Games Go On, and On, and On, and…
Among some of the most popular classic games which have respawned online are board games such as chess, backgammon, and draughts. While the latter two games have certainly been kept alive and kicking by online websites and apps, it is the game of chess that has really captured the imagination of modern gamers, with social media platforms like Instagram and YouTube being jam-packed with content pertaining to this game, that dates back to sixth century India.
Popular free-to-play platforms like chess.com and lichess.org have cultivated this hive of online activity, which has been boosted further by the online streaming community, as people like the Botez Sisters and Hikaru Nakamura have made the game sexy again, constantly delivering grand master levels of advice and feedback to budding players via their channels on Twitch and YouTube Gaming.
Original Gaming Machines Get Revamped
While it is tough for most classic games to compete with the longevity of board games like chess and backgammon, there are some which are famous for having been trailblazers on the digital gaming scene. Some of these were the first-ever physical gaming machines such as pinball and slots, both of which have now made miraculous switches to online arenas and mobile app stores. Since moving online, it has also been possible for slots developers to create incredible worldwide interlinked jackpot prizes and reel modifier features; the sorts of things that were previously impossible on land-based fruit machines.
Pinball machines have also been given an online makeover, as their formats fit nicely onto mobile devices as well as larger PC monitors. There are lots of free-to-play pinball providers out there, although it may be worth a player’s while to pay a little something to play one of the most up-to-date and most enjoyable online pinball games.
Dominoes have not had quite the same level of success online as some other ancient games, but their tile format still influences a great many contemporary online video games
Tile Games Have Far-Reaching Influence Online
Tile games are arguably some of the oldest games ever invented by man and include the likes of dominoes and Mahjong. The latter of these is particularly huge online, especially in Asia, with hundreds of new variants being launched all the time. Dominoes has been slower to catch on online, although its tile-based gameplay can be seen influencing all manner of contemporary games, from Dorfromantik all the way through to 2048.