Hybrid games represent a new world of opportunities for board game designers. With the possibilities that new technologies like mobile or wearable devices - the sky is the limit. In this post we will go though the best examples or these new technologies in board games.
Some of the technologies mentioned below are already being used in board games, others aren't. The one thing we know for sure is that they are going to change the way we play forever.
No. 5: Smart mobile devices
Mobile devices have multitude of uses in enhancing board games. Most of the time they are simply a convenient way to store data or they become a game master, keeper of secrets or multimedia device that boosts immersion.
An example is XCOM: The board game. A game that uses a mobile device that plays against a cooperative team.
No. 4: Controller gadgets
Other devices and controllers have appeared after the boom of mobile phones and tablets. They are usually extensions of the functionality of mobile devices and cannot really do much without them.
Dice+ falls in this category. An electronic dice that connects to the phone and sends information about the rolls.
No. 3: iBeacons
iBeacons are another kind of device that can be used in games. In opposition to controllers like Dice+, iBeacons are passive and they connect to mobile devices and send information about their localization. The gameplay opportunities that iBeacons offer are very distant from board games but they are still a kind of hybrid game.
No. 2: Electronic Pawns
This is something completely new in the board game world. Pawns that move themselves and are able to keep track of rules of the game. They also do other fancy stuff depending of the model.
You can check out the ePawn for example. They are trying to kickstart themselves this very moment :)
No.1 1: Augmented Reality
Augmented Reality is by far the most convenient way of empowering a board game. It feels nice and powerful. If you think about it, the possibilities of adding 3D objects and procedurally generated content to board games is AMAZING! As we said before, the future for Augmented Reality could not be better now that Hololens are on the way. It can be combined with all the previously mentioned technologies too.
Publish or Perish is a hybrid board game in development that uses Augmented Reality (Developed with Vuforia) to display super fun sub-atomic collider experiments. :)
Do you know any other technology that could be used to build hybrid games? Do you disagree with the order of this list? Do you have any suggestions for future posts? See you soon! :)
No comments:
Post a Comment