I recently learned how to play an interactive two person virtual game of Scrabble online*.
It was actually a lot of fun. We chatted on the side bar about the game, our families, and the weather. It was almost as good as being there.
One of the best parts of the whole experience, besides not having to travel icy roads, was that the computer monitored the game by allowing or disallowing words, and also kept the score. The dictionary was only a click away and, as we didn't finish our second game, it was safely stored for our next visit.
Of course, being from the generation I am, I marvelled about how inventive mankind has become to be able to accomplish such a feat of being able to use the instantaneous technology of turning bits of light on and off in order to enter the realm of competition however trivial or serious. I also was surprised at the fact that I was able to use this part of virtual reality without listening to a 'menu' or have the screen mysteriously turn black (while not often anyways).
Playing games from a distance, however, is not a new idea. People used to, and probably still do, play chess via the regular postal service.
What I do find interesting is that the premise of many of these online games is exactly the same as those that have been played for decades if not centuries. These games have been played by real people, using the same rules, in a social setting to pass time and chat with little variation except that nowadays one can play against the computer itself without having to actually connect with another human being.
Now this was where I was going to write about the earliest games I ever played such as Snakes and Ladders and Checkers, along with card games such as Fish, Rummy and Durok. I was going to mention playing Floor Curling in the country school using red pencil marks and checker pieces (that also doubled as Crokinol shooters) to make 'houses and rocks' to the extent that we actually had 'bonspiels' at noon with draw times and prizes. I was thinking that using white sugar cubes with pencil marks for dice while playing Monopoly in this same school might be an interesting comment. The time I made my own Rumoloi Game out of a piece of bristol board and an old deck of cards was also going to be listed.
But instead , I think I will mention how my husband in his bachelor days , living alone, two kilometers at the end of a road only accessible by snowmobile in the winter, without a telephone, was never at a loss for entertainment or for a game playing partner. In fact, I don't think I have to actually mention this as I will let some pictures 'do the talking' .
Note: the change in player piece colours, beer label, sitting position.
* When does the use of interactive, virtual, and online become redundant?
It was actually a lot of fun. We chatted on the side bar about the game, our families, and the weather. It was almost as good as being there.
One of the best parts of the whole experience, besides not having to travel icy roads, was that the computer monitored the game by allowing or disallowing words, and also kept the score. The dictionary was only a click away and, as we didn't finish our second game, it was safely stored for our next visit.
Of course, being from the generation I am, I marvelled about how inventive mankind has become to be able to accomplish such a feat of being able to use the instantaneous technology of turning bits of light on and off in order to enter the realm of competition however trivial or serious. I also was surprised at the fact that I was able to use this part of virtual reality without listening to a 'menu' or have the screen mysteriously turn black (while not often anyways).
Playing games from a distance, however, is not a new idea. People used to, and probably still do, play chess via the regular postal service.
What I do find interesting is that the premise of many of these online games is exactly the same as those that have been played for decades if not centuries. These games have been played by real people, using the same rules, in a social setting to pass time and chat with little variation except that nowadays one can play against the computer itself without having to actually connect with another human being.
Now this was where I was going to write about the earliest games I ever played such as Snakes and Ladders and Checkers, along with card games such as Fish, Rummy and Durok. I was going to mention playing Floor Curling in the country school using red pencil marks and checker pieces (that also doubled as Crokinol shooters) to make 'houses and rocks' to the extent that we actually had 'bonspiels' at noon with draw times and prizes. I was thinking that using white sugar cubes with pencil marks for dice while playing Monopoly in this same school might be an interesting comment. The time I made my own Rumoloi Game out of a piece of bristol board and an old deck of cards was also going to be listed.
But instead , I think I will mention how my husband in his bachelor days , living alone, two kilometers at the end of a road only accessible by snowmobile in the winter, without a telephone, was never at a loss for entertainment or for a game playing partner. In fact, I don't think I have to actually mention this as I will let some pictures 'do the talking' .
Othello
Note: the change in player piece colours, beer label, sitting position.
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