The internet has made it easier than ever for gamers to discover new games, but that doesn’t necessarily mean that the games they find are from the modern age. The internet is helping people discover games that have been around for hundreds — and in some cases, thousands — of years.
These games may have hobbled on in some form or another without the internet, but they would be unlikely to be as popular as they are today. Let’s take a closer look at just some of the games that have been given a new lease of life thanks to the power of the web.
Scrabble
Scrabble very much feels like an old, traditional game. In fact, if there was one game that you thought would be consigned to the history books thanks to the internet, it would be Scrabble. In an era of flashing lights and all-out excitement, the muted enjoyment of Scrabble seems pretty dated.
And yet, the game isn’t just persevering; it’s excelling. Part of this has to do with the uptick in interest in word games in general. Modern viral word puzzle games like Wordle have a knock-on effect on the popularity of Scrabble. The internet has also allowed people to play Scrabble against friends and family wherever they happen to be, and there are even competitive, streamed tournaments that attract thousands of viewers. Yes indeed, the internet has been kind to Scrabble.
Slot Games
Slot games have come a long way since their invention back in the late 1800s. Having started their life as fully mechanical machines, they later evolved to be electromechanical machines, before turning fully electrical in the late 1980s. And then came the internet, which revolutionised the concept of slot games altogether. The internet made it possible for people to play slots online that featured fantastic, immersive themes that were much more advanced than what they could find in the offline world. Today’s slot game industry is vibrant and highly creative, with dozens of new titles being released every week.
Chess
We’re not going to give the internet full credit for the continued popularity of chess. It’s been around for some 1,500 years, and would likely be around for another 1,500 years even if Tim Berners-Lee hadn’t invented the internet.
But there’s no denying that chess has benefitted from the internet. Around 8% of the world’s population play chess regularly, and you can bet your bottom dollar that many of them play those games online. Even purists who play their games offline get help from the web in some form or another, be it watching streamed professional games or using a learning app to improve their game.
Magic The Gathering
Magic the Gathering was popular from the very beginning, so it’s not fair to say that its success is down to the internet. But it is fair to say that the internet very much had a helping hand in making it successful. The game was released in 1993, and while it was a hit, there’s every chance that it would have fallen into obscurity had it not been for the web.
Online versions helped to bring Magic to a significantly wider audience, allowing people who didn’t live near urban areas with Magic groups to play the game. Plus, the internet just made playing the game more straightforward; it’s much easier to play when you have easy access to the game’s many rules with a few clicks of a button!
The Classics
Finally, there are the classic arcade games that, without the internet, may have simply become relics of a forgotten era. Games like Tetris and Pac-Man are part of gaming history and had a significant influence on the gaming industry as a whole. The internet has made it as straightforward as possible for people to find and play these games — indeed, in the case of Pac-Man, you can play the game from within your browser simply by searching for it on Google.
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