Games that were once played hundreds or even thousands of years ago are now available to enjoy on portable devices like laptops and mobiles

Emerging innovations in the field of technology have changed life as we know it. Nowadays, various processes are quicker, more efficient, and able to be completed remotely from the other side of the world.

Technology also means that archaic games are able to occupy an entirely new space in the virtual environment, with everything from robot players to mobile services, in-depth educational guides and more. In this article we take a look at four games, in order of newest to oldest, that have been given a digital makeover thanks to tech advancements.

Table of Contents

Roulette

Roulette is one of the most popular casino games played today. Its mesmerizing black and red wheel now comes in various different forms, including American roulette, and allows players to make different bets according to where they believe the ball will land. However, many people do not realize that roulette takes its name from the French word meaning “little wheel” and is believed to have been invented sometime in the 18th century by a mathematician named Blaise Pascal. Later on, the wheel gained traction in Monaco and the game’s popularity was confirmed practically overnight.

Roulette today looks a bit different from how it did in 1700s France. Since the online casino revolution of the 21st century, both regular and live roulette options are available for players who prefer to connect to the thrills and spills of the classic game remotely. With more innovations rising to the surface in recent years, croupiers can now assist and communicate with players in live roulette to make the experience even more realistic.

Chess  

Chess is one of the most recognisable games of strategy that still exists today. With roots that date back over 1,500 years, the game is said to have come from 6th century India and then spread onto Persia, Spain, and all of Southern Europe. However, during all this time the rules of the strategic board game were shifting and changing, until eventually they became concrete and went on to form the gameplay that people know and love today.

Just as in the case of online casinos, chess’s makeover came with internet databases and, especially, player engines. Today, chess lovers have access to myriad different platforms to practice their moves on, and they can do so with computerized bots that adapt their gameplay from easy to master depending on their opponent’s level. Digital chess services like these have created entire internet communities filled with fellow players of the game dating back thousands of years.

Nowadays, the popularity of chess has grown rampantly, with entire hosts of both online and physical players

Draughts

Many people may be surprised to find out that draughts, or checkers, is an older board game than chess. Its earliest form has been dated back to around 3000 BC by archeologists working in ancient Mesopotamia or modern-day Iraq. Nowadays, it isn’t uncommon to see people enjoying a game of draughts somewhere outside or in a park, as its pieces are easily transportable and the game does not require a long process to learn how to play it.

In the same way that chess communities now thrive online, so do draught ones. There have also been programs developed in the 21st century which help to facilitate online play between friends or against a bot.

Go

Last but not least, the ancient game of Go originated in China around 2356 BC, making it one of the oldest board games in the world that is still actively played today. Although the rules of the game are not complex, the game consists of a variety of interesting patterns that can often confuse new players. As the game has been given a fresh presence online, virtual educational material and forums help first-timers guide themselves through the ancient activity.  

Although most of the time, games like these will have free versions or secure pay-as-you-go options, in any case users should remember to stay away from unfamiliar websites that have the potential to scam them or add malware to a device.