Nowadays, everything seems to be changing, from communicating to ordering dinner to dating. The same goes with the way we’re playing games.
We’ve known for years that games were becoming social. People (ahem, Gen X-ers) still send out Candy Crush and Farmville requests on the ever-dissolving Facebook. However, instead of these communally competitive games, new mobile apps are actually bringing players together to compete in a face-to-face (or screen-to-screen?) arena. For the most part, these apps are free (or cheap) to own, filling up the game cabinet without the expense of buying new extensions and themes of the same games.
Cards Against Humanity—a spin-off of the much more tame Apples to Apples card game—is a crowd favorite among my hometown friends. So when Evil Apples, a mobile version loosely based on both games from Evil Studios Ltd., was released for iOS devices, my hometown friends and I were brought back together in a competitively disturbing way. Users can prompt friends to download the app and join the game. Once everyone signs on, the game begins as players try to come up with the funniest–and most disturbingly wrong–phrases. There’s even a chat feature in the game for players to comment–or to remind stragglers that the game is waiting on their card.
It’s a party game gone digital, bringing people together while they’re away from home, even if it’s just for a round or two.
Similarly, games like the Scrabble-based Words With Friends and the multi-themed trivia game QuizUp–from Zynga and Plain Vanilla, respectively–allow players to challenge Facebook friends or strangers, connecting people across the globe in good-spirited competition.
And for rare occasions when you can actually get all of your friends and family into one place, there’s Heads Up!, from Spin Master. Like the party game Hedbandz, Heads Up! has players guess the word on a (digital) card based on the other players’ clues before the timer runs out. It can also access a device’s camera to record video of the game, which can be saved (for future blackmail) or uploaded to Facebook later on.
What about Monopoly? The Game of Life? What about Settlers of Catan?
The mobile versions of these classics, as well as a slew of non-board family games designed strictly for mobile play, are interactive alternatives for tech-savvy kids who find board games a little too boring. Similarly, classic titles such as Fluxx, Phase 10, Jenga, and more are available in mobile versions for iOS and Android devices.
If you’re looking for something new, one of my favorite mobile games is Teledoodle, by FatChicken Studios. I think at one point in my childhood I owned a weird Plug-n-Play version of the game, but I promise that the mobile version actually works. A mix between Pictionary and Telephone, players are given a phrase to draw on their device, which is passed onto the next player who has to guess what the drawing resembles. It’s great for families or groups of friends, and can be played with one device or on many!
Marble Mixer, by GameHouse, is another wild game based on a classic. While Hungry Hungry Hippos was a blast for small kids, the marbles were easily lost and I have vivid memories of fingers being pinched by too-competitive classmates. The app version, which is available for iOS and Android devices, lets kids flick and shoot marbles at targets and rack up points in single- and multi-player games, without the mess.
There seems to be an endless treasure trove of mobile games available for kids and adults, and with so many free or cheap options, why splurge on a bulky box of pawns and dice when you can carry them all in your pocket?
For more commentary from Alexis, check back often. Views expressed in this column are solely those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Toy Book as a whole. We hope that you will share your comments and feedback below. Until next time!
