The Royal Game of Ur is believed to be the oldest, or at least, one of the original board games ever invented. It dates back to somewhere around 4,600 years ago.
Through the centuries humans have found ways to entertain themselves and others through different games. These have sometimes involved cards, tiles, dice, and later on, computers and consoles.
Most games have fallen by the wayside or have seen only fleeting glimpses of popularity. Some games though have become instant classics with huge followings, such as Minecraft, while others have grown and evolved and can still hold their own against more modern and complex games.
The games below are all classics in their own right, or at least their genre is. One of the reasons they remain popular is because they have been adapted to work in the modern world.
What older games can you play with modern technology?
Many games have gone through rule changes and different adaptations. Some video games get ported to other systems, and the gameplay can thus vary slightly. Board games get turned into mobile apps, and arcade games have been recorded for home computers.
What has happened in many cases is that older games have found a new lease of life when someone uses modern tech to make them easier to access, or in many cases, more enjoyable.
Here are some classic games that you can play today with newer technology.
Live casino games
In some ways, card games don’t get more classic than those that are found in casinos. Poker, blackjack, and baccarat, are featured in Hollywood movies, and of course in tournaments, and in every casino in the world.
Yet, the image of a smoky poker room can be left behind with the innovative use of live casinos. An online casinó such as EnergyCasino, can feature genuine professional dealers live instead of just graphics as in the past. These dealers help to facilitate the various casino games and bring a sense of reality to what is essentially an online game, albeit a classic one.
Home computer and video game emulators
During the nineties, both consoles and home computers grew not only in popularity but also in processor power. Graphics and sound improved, and the games became more complex. Typically, most gamers would only own one console or one computer. This meant that many titles were unavailable for some players.
Then in 1996, the first emulator became available. With computers becoming more powerful, the possibility of a PC running games from a console became reality.
Now, it is possible to play any classic game from any Nintendo console, Playstation, Commodore Amiga, and even retro computers such as the ZX Spectrum, on a laptop. Perhaps the most common use of emulators now is with programs such as BlueStacks which allow gamers to play mobile games on more powerful PCs.
First-person shooters with VR
Perhaps the first FPS game was Maze War from back in 1973. Yet, it probably wasn’t until games such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D, and Quake arrived that the genre really hit its stride.
FPS games are still highly popular on mobile devices, consoles, and PC. But, virtual reality has added a whole new twist to some franchises. VR may not have taken off in quite the way that developers had originally hoped, but there are signs that it can still be successful. Half-Life: Alyx was released as a VR-only title to great acclaim.
Fortunately, for those who don’t own a VR headset, Alyx is now available with a mod to run independently. Maybe not everyone wants to embrace the future quite yet.
Virtual sports
When looking at future predictions for gaming and the industry, VR is always high on the list.
In this case, VR isn’t employed via headsets or to produce interactive games. Instead, sports games are computer-generated to produce events that can be viewed and bet on. Casinos are using virtual sports to reproduce football, baseball, boxing, and other games whose results are decided through the use of complex algorithms.
Board games on PC
Playing board games dates back centuries. Introducing them to mobile devices and PCs isn’t completely new, but the AI behind them now is far more complex.
The biggest selling board game ever is likely to be Chess. However, as no one has any form of copyright on this game, it is impossible to track how many chess sets have ever been sold.
The biggest change in board games in the modern world isn’t just the use of computers, it is the internet. Playing board games now can mean that your opposition isn’t in the same room as you, or even on the same continent.
Bingo
The way bingo is now played is beyond all recognition from its traditional incarnation. Of course, bingo halls are still in existence, but far more people are playing online with their tablets and smartphones.
Bingo has been around since the 16th century, but modern technology means that traditional halls are no longer needed to play against other individuals. Indeed, with automatic gameplay, the player doesn’t even need to interact.
Flight simulators
One of the earliest home computer games was a flight simulator. The ZX Spectrum managed to run a crude flight simulator, and the PC was treated to Microsoft’s Flight Simulator in 1982 as well.
While the premise behind these games has changed little, the technology certainly has. Similar titles are still run on home computers but the system requirements for the latest Microsoft Flight simulator mean truly modern and powerful devices are needed.
Play to earn
This is a very modern twist on online gaming. Play to earn refers to games that allow the player to amass some rewards that have real-world value. So, classic puzzle games such as word search are incentivized through the use of tokens or NFTs.
This genre can take classic arcade games and spin them by adding rewards that can be traded in for cash or cryptocurrency.
MMORPGs on mobile devices
The appeal of massively multiplayer online games hasn’t diminished at all since their inception. People are playing Runescape 20 years after its release, and it never truly ends.
Now though, with super-fast internet, and advanced smartphones, these titles are playable on Android. This means that in modern times, a PC is no longer needed, just a suitable mobile device, and a strong internet connection.
Summary
Gaming used to mean getting out a deck of cards or setting up the Monopoly board. Then, arcades came, followed by consoles and home computing systems. Handheld games and mobile devices came later.
Many of the games or genres being played today have their roots right in the past. It is the way they are played that has changed. The internet, and powerful CPUs, along with VR and AI, mean that many games have been given a new lease of life, or been introduced to younger generations.
