Friday, January 29, 2021

a phone is a poor substitute for a gaming table but it is a substitute

While digital board gaming has been a part of my gaming life almost from the get-go (thanks to sites like BSW, Yutica, Super Duper Games and such), viewing my phone as a gaming medium took longer. 

There are two reasons for that. One, the smaller screen of a phone is annoying for me when it comes to either pass-and-play or most online sites. Second, playing against AIs doesn’t feel ‘real’ to me. Solitaire games have to actually have solitaire options.

The apps for Onirim and Friday helped break the ice for me. They are games I already owned and liked  and are legit solitaires. 

However, last year marked a major change in me using my phone as a board game medium for two reasons. First, at the start of year, I picked up a number of apps for a roll and write games, giving me enough games to count as a tiny library for my phone.

Second, we spent a chunk of last year under lockdown. So playing lots of solitaire games really helped my state of mind.

By no means am I saying that playing Roll and Writes on my phone has made me revise my opinion about in-person games. Compared to playing with other folks, either in person or online, it isn’t as engaging or fun. Instead, I think it says that gaming will always find a way.

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