Despite the incredible selection of digital sources of entertainment, board games and other traditional pastimes are growing in popularity. Thanks to the recent lockdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, people from all corners of the world have come to value the process of playing fun games with friends and family, in person. As the demand for traditional game types continues to rise, let’s check out some of the top choices among today’s players:
Monopoly
Monopoly first appeared in the United States in the early 20th century, and it didn’t take long for it to become immensely popular. Today, it is definitely one of the best-selling board games in the world. Monopoly revolves around the process of acquiring and selling property and the development of land. As such, it offers the thrills of trying to get rich, and it was even named after the economic concept of market domination by a single entity. However, the course of the game also depends on luck, since the success of each player is largely determined by the value of the properties they land on. The board features 40 squares which include streets, properties, utilities, railroads, jail, and free parking space. The main objective is to attain wealth and drive the opponents into bankruptcy.
Bingo
Bingo is a well-known game in different parts of the world, and according to historians, it originates in late 16th-century Italy. However, its popularity truly gained traction somewhere in the 1960s, especially in the UK, when people started rushing to numerous bingo halls seeking both fun and socialization. However, once the digital era started to develop, the demand for bingo venues began to decline. However, due to the global lockdown, it began to once again rise in popularity, but this time, the game saw a comeback in the online sphere. A large number of players started to play web-based bingo with family, friends, and other random individuals, and luckily for them, there are now many online bingo sites to choose from. The game’s development in the digital world also spiked a revival among land-based venues, and some establishments even started organizing fun thematic nights. As a result, bingo expanded its reach to younger generations as well, even though it used to be generally played by seniors.
Scrabble
Scarble is one of the most iconic board games out there, and many passionate fans are happy to witness its revival in 2023. The game features 100 lettered tiles together with two blank ones, and in order to win, you need to combine those letters into valid words and create the biggest score possible. With this, the players need to rely both on skill and luck to win. Players are asked to use individually numbered letters to form words, and the numbers range from 1 to 10. While vowels and other commonly used letters are only worth a few points, less common ones like Z, X, and Q are valued much more. As for the blank tiles, they can be used to substitute any letter, and as such, they carry no points. The grid also includes coloured squares that serve as premium spots where regular scores are multiplied. Furthermore, words are formed on the grid in crossword fashion, and everything you use must be part of the standard dictionary.
Chess
Chess has been around for centuries, as it is one of the oldest skill-based games known to man. The standard board is divided into 64 squares, and the players use 32 separate pieces – 16 black ones and 16 white ones. There are six different piece types on the board, and each of them has its own movement pattern across the board that has to be respected. The main objective of the game is to checkmate the opponent’s King when it is under a direct attack and has no chance of making further moves. Once that is accomplished, the game is over. Nowadays, chess is also available in the online sphere, however, once again due to the recent conditions caused by the pandemic, the traditional version got an additional boost among amateur players.
Dominoes
You might find this surprising, but there are a number of different domino games that involve the use of black tiles with white dots or vice versa, which are called building blocks. By using them, players strive to assemble them in many different ways so as to create a large variety of forms with as many tiles as possible. The game is played by two teams that consist of two persons each, and the domino pieces are shuffled face down. Every player receives seven tiles, and the first one to go is the one who holds the double-six tile, or any other value of the double-tile that is present. Each hand is worth one or more points, and the first team that wins seven points wins.
Traditional board games have been part of many cultures for ages, and if it weren’t for all those sources of virtual entertainment, they would probably continue to grow on a global scale. However, thanks to the recent events that kept people from all parts of the world trapped in their homes, the demand for traditional games has once again risen, and we’re hoping it’s here to stay.
