ROBOT INVASION: THE CONVERGENCE OF TABLETOP GAMES AND TECHNOLOGY

It will be a surprise to absolutely no one that technology is slowly creeping into the world of tabletop games, just as it has in every other facet of life. What might actually be surprising is how slowly the creep is. Especially considering the wild success of mobile games and the ubiquity of smartphones, you might expect more tabletop games supplemented with apps. So why are tabletop games lagging behind when we embrace technology in other areas without looking back?

- Teale Fristoe

In this article, I’m going to discuss how digital technology fits into tabletop games. I’ll look at what’s currently holding it back and where I expect it will go once the floodgates finally do open.

Stuck in the Age of Cardboard

With digital technology rapidly being adopted in nearly every part of modern life, why are tabletop games slow to embrace it? I believe there are a number of reasons.

But before that, it is worth noting that digital technology is beginning to make an impact in the hobby. I’ ll go over a few examples later, but perhaps the most significant way digital technology makes an appearance in the industry is through digitized versions of tabletop games. Games such as Carcassone and Star Realms have extremely successful digital versions, and while players don’t combine them with the actual tabletop experience, they serve an important complementary role for the tabletop games — helping to teach the games as well as advertising them.

So, what’s keeping digital technology from being integrated into the tabletop experience?

Luddites