When most people think of games such as card games, board games or dominoes they tend to imagine standard versions of old classics like Texas Hold’em poker and monopoly. But much like hardware developers try to breathe new life into retro video games, gaming designers do the same for the apparatus we use to play traditional games. Here are some of our favorite efforts.
Packs of cards are far from all being the same, with many games using wild variations of the classic versions found in the likes of poker or rummy
Packs of Cards Are Getting a Makeover
It seems as though the standard packs of playing cards that most people are used to have been around since time immemorial, but actually that is far from the case, with original playing cards taking many different forms, such as long and narrow designs that have since been brought up to date by card manufacturing companies like Hoyle.
Indeed, this trend for going back in history for inspiration rings true with many contemporary card designers who are copying artists of the past who saw playing cards as some kind of impromptu canvas upon which to etch their paintings and sketches.
Some of the most beautiful card designs out there today can be found in the fantasy worlds of strategy card games like Lost Cities and Celestia. Then there is also Dixit, whose every card is something of a work of art. The game is quite fun too!
There are even now companies that allow customers to design their own pack of cards, letting people include their photos or own artwork on the backs of playing cards.
Dice Continue to Evolve from Their Chinese Roots
Dice date all the way back to ancient Chinese dynasties when games were designed around the idea of emperors and their armies conquering foreign lands or unruly provinces.
Because they were initially made by monks, their designs were incredibly elaborate, carved from materials such as ivory or wood, until generations whittled them down to the six-sided dice we know and love today.
However, with some designers growing bored of this traditional setup, many have been experimenting with quite out-there adaptations.
Some of these resemble spinning tops, while others are made of metal and look like they could be the Borg’s cube from Star Trek.
The rules of many games also necessitate a die to have more than six sides. In fact, there are many styles of dice that have more than six sides.
Dice have come a long way from their ancient Chinese roots
Board game Design is Perhaps the Ultimate Blend of Game Dynamics and Ergonomic Style
When it comes to games that exist solely offline, look no further than board games for cutting edge design, with games developers demanding that their designers consider not only the aesthetics of the board, pieces, and cards; but also how intuitively they function within the game’s rules and competitive dynamics.
The rise of gaming cafes and bars, as well as people wanting to escape their computer and phone screens, has driven a huge rise in the number of borderline genius board games being released of late.
Some of these include Mice and Mystics, Root, and Scythe, although there really are too many to list off here, so go and search out the ones that will suit you best.
Designers Finding Ways to Revolutionise Dominoes
Last but not least there are dominoes, which much like dice have been around for thousands of years.
Design, when it comes to dominoes, tends to focus on what a tile can actually be used for or made to do differently, rather than changing its original form.
This is most evident in the work done by people like Lily Hevesh, who builds incredible domino displays, which set off physics-defying helter-skelter effects that boggle the minds of everyone who sees them. Impressive to say the least!
