The history of card games in digital form goes back as far as the idea of digital itself with things like poker featuring on some of the earliest home consoles, not to mention the staple game of solitaire that featured on so many Windows systems.

Over the decades, there have been supporters on both sides listing the advantages of the play styles offered by each version, but what are the biggest differences between a digital version and a real-life version? Let’s take a look at some prominent examples.

Classic Card Games

If we’re talking about card games, it’s hard to overlook the original ones in the form of poker and blackjack. Although they aren’t the earliest card games, they are the most established ones we know and certainly some of the first ones to get the digital treatment. They have evolved over the years from basic video poker machines to modern online table games that now include live games played remotely from a TV studio and hundreds of online variants.

On the one hand, you get the convenience when you play things like online poker from anywhere you like and a digital wallet for your funds. When it comes to traditional games played in person, long-term players have long voiced their appreciation for the human element of the game where you can read faces and body language.

Cards Against Humanity

This has to be the most adult game outside of casino games, probably more so thanks to the irreverent possibilities that the cards can create. It is a party game where the aim is to play a card to complete a prompt sentence in order to make the dealer of that round laugh. What makes it adult is that the cards themselves contain mature topics and content.

Despite the creators stating that they recommend the offline version above all others, they also support an unofficial version that can be played for free online which replicates the original faithfully. We have to agree with the creators though: this game is all about reactions and those are best when you can look your friends in the face!

Secret Hitler

One of the most popular social deduction titles available, the game is far less controversial than the name would suggest. The aim of the game is to use evidence from card choice and voting patterns to deduce who your friends are and who is on the other team, although it’s almost impossible to confirm any roles.

This is a rare case where the digital online version can actually benefit the theme. In-person, players may subconsciously get information from reading body language and signals, and while some players argue that’s part of the game, others certainly prefer the game when it’s all about the data and information.

The jury is very much out on which versions of games are best. Traditionalists will always stand by their cardboard and futurists will hold digital up high, but the odds are the best version for you will lie somewhere between the two extremes.