Tabletop games are also often called parlor games, board games, role-playing games, and party games. They are traditionally played at home around the table, but many of the world’s most popular tabletop games have also now made a relatively easy transition to the online world. The question being asked on this page is, why do tabletop games thrive as digital games? Let’s dive straight in and try to find the answer.
What are tabletop games?
Tabletop games (aka tabletops, parlor games, board games, role-playing games, and party games) have entertained people worldwide for thousands of years.
Tabletops can also be sub-categorized as card games, dice games, tile-based games, and miniature wargames. ‘Tabletop’ is the broader term encompassing almost all types of games that can be played on a table/board. They don’t necessarily have to be played on a table. However, they usually are, as it’s the most convenient flat surface.
Are online casino table games classed as tabletop games?
When you play casino table games online, they are not classed as tabletop games. For example, games like craps, roulette, blackjack, poker, and baccarat are usually just called table games in a casino and gaming background.
Even though you can play miniature versions of these casino games at home with friends when you have a poker or casino night, they are still not generally referred to as tabletop games. Instead, they are usually called traditional/classic casino table & card games.
What are the most popular tabletop games in the world?
There are hundreds of tabletop games out there today to suit all types of players, and many of you will already be familiar with one or more of these games.
Some of the most popular tabletop games you can play today are the following:
- Monopoly
- Magic: The Gathering
- Dungeons & Dragons
- Gloomhaven
- Scrabble
- Uno
- Checkers
- Pictionary
- Pandemic
- Catan
- Ticket to Ride
- Azul
- Carcassonne
- Dominion
Some of these tabletop games are far more popular than others and have been around a lot longer. A game’s popularity also sometimes depends on which part of the world you are based.
Many tabletop games are aimed at a specific type of player (based on age/demographic), whereas others are suitable for all ages and are great to play with the family.
Honorable mentions
Other popular tabletop games that many of you will have already heard of by now are Sorry!, Hungry Hungry Hippos, Mage Knight, Battleship, Forbidden Island, Risk, Operation, Chess, Backgammon, and Splendor. Others include The Quacks of Quedlinburg, Sushi Go!, 7 Wonders Duel, Betrayal at House on the Hill, and Wingspan.
Suppose you’re looking for more tabletop games to try with your friends or family. In that case, you also have Small World, King of Tokyo, Twilight Struggle, Mansions of Madness, Blood Rage, Through the Ages: A Story of Civilization, Blokus, Sequence, Bananagrams, Apples to Apples, and Connect Four, to name a few.
Why do tabletop games thrive as digital games?
Many people grew up playing some of the tabletop games mentioned above and carried on playing them as adults. Sometimes it can be time-consuming to invite friends over and spend time setting up everything that’s required to play certain tabletop games.
Playing a digital version of your favorite tabletop game with your friends and relatives at a dedicated website is the next best thing. It’s just an exciting new way to play. Just like people today enjoy playing traditional casino games at licensed online casinos because it’s the more convenient option, people enjoy playing digital tabletop games because it’s convenient.
You can now play your favorite tabletop games from almost any modern computing device (e.g., smartphone, tablet, laptop, or desktop computer). You can download and install free apps onto your device to play tabletop games, meaning you don’t need internet/Wi-Fi connectivity to play digital tabletop games.
Playing tabletop games at dedicated websites is still nowhere near as exciting as physically sitting around the table and playing the games in person with your friends. However, they are the next best thing, enabling us to continue playing familiar favorites from almost any location on the planet without the need to carry around the physical games with us anymore.
Tabletop games online today take just seconds to launch in most web browsers, and they usually come with step-by-step guides on how to play, along with tips, tricks, and other useful information. There’s nothing quite like playing Monopoly with friends and family in person, but sometimes it’s impossible. This is where online tabletop games come in handy.
In Conclusion
Being able to play in an online environment at trusted websites means that it’s now possible to play at any time of the day without the hassle of setting up games and arranging for people to come over.
Today’s best tabletop game websites have also enabled certain games to reach out to a much broader audience than ever before. Websites have given table games a new lease on life.
There will always remain a market for physical tabletop games. However, the digital transformation has opened up a new way of playing, which is super convenient for millions of people worldwide.
