As you may have noticed, we know a thing or two about the attraction of playing a traditional game on this website. There is nothing like sitting down and relaxing with friends or family with cards, dice or dominoes, taking your mind off your troubles and having a bit of fun in the process.

Indeed, while playing games online or on consoles of course remains hugely popular, there does seem to be a rising number of people spending at least a few hours away from the online world in order to relax.

According to a study conducted by The Associated Press and researchers at the University of Chicago, 58 percent of young people aged between 13 and 17 have taken a break from social media with many feeling positive about having time off. Considering this age group is perhaps most commonly associated with using devices like smartphones, it is a finding which shows that the online world maybe does not have as strong a grip on people as many might think.

A human touch

Such trends should not be too surprising, as in many forms of gaming there have been signs for some time now of people wanting a more human touch in terms of how they play. Take online casino websites for example, where games which once used random number generator algorithms have been replaced by “live casino” options in which real-life dealers host games on a video feed. It is not just a niche offering either, with live casinos online like Mr Smith offering a range of games in the format including variations such as Caribbean Stud Poker, French Roulette and Three Card Poker.

Such a shift towards human interaction has also been seen in video gaming, where top franchises like Call of Duty and FIFA are now generally more popular for multiplayer options which connect gamers from around the world rather than their standard single-player modes.

Going offline

With a growing number of people seemingly wanting a “real” experience from their gaming, it should not perhaps be a major surprise that interest in offline “hobby games” – a catch-all term that covers everything from board, dice and card games – has gone through the roof in recent years.

According to a study compiled by ICv2 last year, sales of such games in the US and Canada reached a stunning $1.4 billion in 2016 with that figure marking a 21 percent rise from the previous year. The trend also appears to be in rude health too, with a range of classics being brought to market either in a traditional or revamped form. For example, an ancient Japanese card game called Panda, which was apparently played in the country up until an invasion by the Chinese, has just been rebooted by entrepreneurs in Dubai.

All in all, it is safe to say that while video and online gaming remain as popular as ever, all of the signs suggest that heading offline to enjoy more traditional games is on the rise too – and we are delighted to hear it.

It seems that not a day goes by without a new board game hitting the market and taking the world of gaming by storm. We’ve had the likes of Linkee and Exploding Kittens storm onto the scene, helping to prove that our after-dinner entertainment isn’t restricted to the likes of Monopoly and Cluedo. This trend isn’t just being witnessed in the board game realm; it’s being seen as well in the video game world, where old classics such as Pong and Space Invaders have been replaced by new classic games, like the various FIFA incarnations and Call of Duty in all its forms.

Creating an AI for Risk board game https://t.co/osSpYuogqC #AI #Risk #boardgames #testing #tutorial #learning #gamedesign #gamedev #indiedev pic.twitter.com/JZBSfcqY8u

— GameMetrics (@game_metrics) January 8, 2018

These new classics have been able to ride on a wave of popularity, with more people than ever before enjoying taking part in gaming. Modern innovations in video gaming are, in fact, being taken so seriously that advances such as eSports have started to be seen as actual sports, with eSports under consideration as a sport for future Olympics and already lined up to be a medal event at a future Asian games in 2022.

What is Helping to Create These New Classics?

With new releases being offered to the marketplace all the time, the new status of games and how they are viewed as technological leaps forward enable shorter cycles for classic status to be achieved. Indeed, in the world of computer gaming, the likes of Star Wars: Empire at War from 2006 would look wholly outdated in 2018 compared to the most recent releases, and this ignores the fact that some games now embrace a wholly immersive virtual reality world, such as those able to be played on Playstation VR.

So, while board games like Risk have become classics over time, it has taken a relatively long time to happen (it was released in 1957). Perhaps this is because changes in technology haven’t really moved forward the world of board games as rapidly as games in other niches, meaning that older games stand a higher chance of becoming, and remaining, classics. On the flipside, games belonging to the iGaming sphere have undergone huge changes, solely due to the fact that the pace of technological advancement in that sector has been extremely rapid and relentless.

Indeed, sites like https://livecasino.com/gb/ now don’t just review casinos offering classic games like Texas Hold ‘Em poker or blackjack, but also more forward-thinking games that are likely to become future classics, such as Dreamcatcher and new dice games that have replaced the likes of craps; in the casino industry, even classic games we all know and love are being adapted so that new versions of them become the new classics.

Speeding Along to a New Status

While the internet alone isn’t responsible for the creation of modern classic games and the speeding up of this classic status being earned in certain sectors, the fact is that technology evolving at a faster rate has had a huge impact.

New patent suggests an evolution in PSVR’s controllers https://t.co/mcZpESbBqc pic.twitter.com/0egyZwCOiC

— SA Gamer (@sagamersforum) January 29, 2018

The world of gaming is speeding along at such a rapid rate that games, whether board games (to an extent), video games, or casino games, can reach classic status far faster than ever before, so we should perhaps get used to seeing more classic editions of games in the shops and online as 2018 progresses!