I previously talked about the long-standing relationship that boardgames had with videogames, and how boardgames has left a thumbprint on videogames.
Here, I'd like explore how boardgames, especially in recent years, has been drawing a lot of inspiration from videogames as well. Boardgames has seen a bit of a resurgence especially within the last 10 years, this being prompted in part by the increase of German-styled (or Euro) boardgames becoming available in USA (and by extension, worldwide). This is coupled by the increase in production of various other genres of table-top gaming (e.g. wargames, RPGs and miniatures). There is also a sizable overlap in the demographics between videogames and boardgames. In addition, anecdotal evidence seems to suggest that many new boardgamers specifically sought out a different gaming experience because they were burned out on electronic gaming. One of those reasons is the lack of (or minimal amounts of) social interaction; Being able to sit across a dining table and enjoying a shared gaming experience is often cited as a pull factor of boardgames. So at the beginning of the decade, we have more boardgames, more boardgamers, and gamers who had more than a passing knowledge of videogames. It would seem inevitable and obvious that crossovers would be emerging before long.
One of the first few high-profiled videogames to be converted to the table-top format was Warcraft. The game attempted to recreate the feel of the videogame, by requiring players to gather resources, establish buildings and bases, build units and engage in combat. The boardgame was not well received however. Main complaints about the game were that the gameplay was too one-dimensional, and it was quite bland, with barely any differences between the 3 main races. Part of the appeal of the videogame was the vast differences in each race, but in trying to balance it for the boardgame, most of that appeal was lost.
One of the next major videogames to be converted was Doom. Released in 2004 by Fantasy Flight Games, the same company that produced Warcraft, the game was initially panned by what players felt were glaring oversights in the game rules. Many players, including myself, felt that the game was extremely unbalanced, which made the experience extremely frustrating. In trying to re-create the foreboding sense of claustrophobia and terror, the game was initially skewed too widely against the player, by essentially crippling their abilities to progress in the game. It did not help that Fantasy Flight Games did not handle post release backlash very well. However, they have since refined the base mechanics, and released an excellent game based on the original system: Descent: Journeys in the Dark.
Sid Meir's Civilization: The Boardgame (Eagle Games, 2002) is a particular example, as I had earlier pointed out. The 2002 version of the boardgame was inspired by the PC game that was inspired by the original Civilization, published in 1980.
Videogames that have also made the transition to boardgames include: Anno 1503 (Mayfair Games, 2003), Age of Mythology (Eagle Games, 2003), Lara Croft Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness (Winning Moves, 2003), Railroad Tycoon (Eagle Games, 2005), World of Warcraft (Fantasy Flight Games, 2005), Starcraft (Fantasy Flight Games, 2007), Age of Empires III (Pro Ludo Games, 2007).
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