Gaming dates back centuries, and there’s a long history both in America and beyond of using play as a way to bring people together. From packs of cards to arcade favorites and everything in between, traditional games played important roles in many people’s childhoods. While at first glance, the arrival of the digital age might seem like a nail in the coffin of these traditional games, that’s not the case.

Everything from board games to brain teasers have been transplanted into app and online gaming forms now – and with so many options to pick from, games developers have become keen to make sure that the nation’s favorite pastimes are available on the go. This article will explore how traditional gaming favorites have evolved into attractive modern gaming options.

Board games

Once upon a time, board games were a staple leisure activity in any American family home. They offered a chance for the whole family to come together and bond, which was especially valuable for many reasons. Whether it was simple games such as Parcheesi or more complex ones such as Monopoly, board games have long been popular.

To some degree, board games still exist in their traditional formats. It’s possible to pick up a game of Scrabble or Monopoly at many of the major stores, for example, and it’s common to see these played on holiday or at significant calendar events such as Thanksgiving. However, many board games have now been adapted for people to play on screens, whether that’s on a mobile phone or on a television screen in a family entertainment center. Words with Friends, a Facebook-based letters game similar to Scrabble, became highly popular in recent years, while everything from Cluedo to Boggle now have apps.

Casino games

Games have long had diverse purposes – and while board games such as Trivial Pursuit or card games such as Snap are played primarily for pleasure or bonding purposes, there are plenty of traditional games with a more financial focus. Take the example of casino games: poker, while being a card game, is rarely ever played outside of a context in which players have a financial stake.

Casino games like these have also had to adapt to a changing world in which connectivity and screens are king. That’s why there are plenty of online casinos now available! Physical casinos are, of course, bound by how much floor space there is or how many rooms there are, but online ones aren’t – meaning that there’s a huge range of choice at Rivers Online Casino or elsewhere. Baccarat, bingo, slot machines and more – they’re all there. For those who don’t like attending an actual real-world casino for whatever reason, this is an ideal solution.

Card games

For those card games that aren’t played for the potential to win large sums of cash and are instead played for pleasure, meanwhile, there’s a space available in the digital game world. Gone are the days when it was only possible to see card games played by players facing each other across a table. Now, it’s possible to play online either against other people or against an automated opponent. Apps exist on mobile phones and websites are online for this purpose – and with some Microsoft operating systems famously providing a solitaire game as a built-in function, there’s a strong heritage of digitalized card games.

Arcade games

To top it all off, there are few general-purpose online gaming sites that don’t bring the very best of the humble arcade game back to life in a digital format. Pinball, for example, can be played online with the mouse taking the role of the physical controls you’d see on an actual pinball machine. Thematic, modernized arcade games based on traditional formats, such as those that allow gamers to use famous individuals from real life as avatars for all kinds of activities, are now available to play too.

While games have been popular for decades, it’s clearly the case that there’s been a real shift towards digital gaming in recent years. However, this doesn’t mean that favorites from the gaming world have been lost forever. Thanks to some innovation on the part of app developers, it’s now possible to play everything from card games to casino games either online or via a mobile phone or tablet – meaning that gamers can access the formats of yesteryear through the mediums of today.