With almost everything being virtual these days, board games are no exception. This is not a new idea either. Many popular video games are based on classic board games. As far back as the Commodore 64, players could get an electronic version of Monopoly. More recently, a Scrabble game was released for PlayStation.

Games like these are popular because they don’t require any special knowledge of technology. They simply use artificial intelligence to power board games turned video games. Since they are so simple to play, they can easily make the transition from physical to virtual.

In the early 2000s, one place to place virtual board games was Chess.com. Yet when it was launched it kept players from directly communicating with each other. The industry was eventually able to overcome this hurdle with the release of The Jackpot Party Pack. It includes many classic board games like Apples to Apples, and Charades and can be accessed on almost any mobile device. However, these games are also played using Twitch and allow players to interact with countless others playing the same game.

Since the launching of Chess.com other sites have been created where board games can be played virtually. This is an easy way for players to enjoy a game of Pictionary or Catan. There are also other related sites where players can read and participate in reviews and discussions of games, including BoardGameGeek.

For many people, the best part of these websites is that they can use them to play their favorite board games for free. Some give players the choice of paying for extra game content, but this isn’t something they have to do if they don’t want to. There are also game cafes that players have to pay to use. These cafes give them access to many more games than free websites do.

Playing board games virtually is a much different experience than playing them with a physical object. Some people prefer the face to face interaction they can’t necessarily get by playing online. Even when they can, there is no guarantee that the video technology won’t fail, which can put a damper on an active game. This is the main difference between regular and virtual board gameplay.