WEBVTT 00:00:03.644 --> 00:00:05.574 This is Kit Eaton for the New York Times. 00:00:06.023 --> 00:00:07.613 Many classic board games have made 00:00:07.613 --> 00:00:09.383 a great transition into the digital world. 00:00:09.998 --> 00:00:12.308 Monopoly, which is $1 on iOS and 00:00:12.308 --> 00:00:14.388 $2 on Android, is a great example of how 00:00:14.388 --> 00:00:15.978 you can take an original board game 00:00:15.978 --> 00:00:18.338 and add some extra magic. The app has 00:00:18.338 --> 00:00:20.628 all the classic features of the board game. 00:00:20.628 --> 00:00:22.468 And instead of representing them in 00:00:22.468 --> 00:00:24.218 boring 2D, you get to see the board and 00:00:24.218 --> 00:00:26.398 all the playing pieces in 3D. And there 00:00:26.398 --> 00:00:28.448 are even cute animations when your 00:00:28.448 --> 00:00:30.128 playing piece moves along the squares. 00:00:30.128 --> 00:00:32.508 You can play against an AI inside the game 00:00:32.508 --> 00:00:34.978 or against human opponents. You can share your 00:00:34.978 --> 00:00:37.495 device or even connect it over Wifi. 00:00:37.495 --> 00:00:39.305 I love the fact that you can customize 00:00:39.305 --> 00:00:41.045 some of the playing rules and that the 00:00:41.045 --> 00:00:42.505 app takes care of all that 00:00:42.505 --> 00:00:43.525 difficult banking for you. 00:00:43.525 --> 00:00:45.085 But I do find that sometimes the app 00:00:45.085 --> 00:00:47.205 feels weirdly old fashioned, with the 00:00:47.205 --> 00:00:49.195 board itself and even the interfaces 00:00:49.195 --> 00:00:50.985 hearkening back to the past instead of 00:00:50.985 --> 00:00:52.335 being more future looking. 00:00:52.335 --> 00:00:53.805 Though of course, this doesn't take away 00:00:53.805 --> 00:00:55.295 from the actual gameplay. 00:00:55.295 --> 00:00:57.405 If Monopoly is too competitive for you, 00:00:57.405 --> 00:00:58.565 and it is for me, 00:00:58.565 --> 00:01:00.695 then family classic Game of Life is also 00:01:00.695 --> 00:01:03.165 available as an app, which is $1 on iOS 00:01:03.165 --> 00:01:04.055 and Android. 00:01:04.055 --> 00:01:06.105 like Monopoly, this app includes cute 00:01:06.105 --> 00:01:07.885 cute 3D animations, to try to 00:01:07.885 --> 00:01:10.265 add some life - ironically - into The Game of Life. 00:01:10.268 --> 00:01:13.328 Its menus are a little fiddly, and the app 00:01:13.328 --> 00:01:15.148 isn't particularly good at explaining how 00:01:15.148 --> 00:01:17.158 to play the game. So perhaps it's best if 00:01:17.158 --> 00:01:18.938 you already know how to play the board 00:01:18.938 --> 00:01:19.818 game version. 00:01:19.818 --> 00:01:22.028 Lastly, if strategy board games are more 00:01:22.028 --> 00:01:23.658 your cup of tea, you should check out 00:01:23.658 --> 00:01:25.428 Catan, which is $4 on both 00:01:25.428 --> 00:01:26.818 iOS and Android. 00:01:26.818 --> 00:01:29.268 This tabletop card game has made an 00:01:29.268 --> 00:01:30.738 excellent transition into being an app, 00:01:30.738 --> 00:01:32.358 mainly because of the strong 00:01:32.358 --> 00:01:34.378 imagery on the cards, which are also 00:01:34.378 --> 00:01:36.588 present in the digital edition and also 00:01:36.588 --> 00:01:37.928 because the app handles some of the 00:01:37.928 --> 00:01:39.768 complicated game rules for you. 00:01:39.771 --> 00:01:41.591 Catan is faithful to the original game, 00:01:41.591 --> 00:01:43.711 has excellent graphics, and is hard to 00:01:43.711 --> 00:01:45.181 learn, but fun to play. 00:01:45.181 --> 00:01:47.311 And that's it for me. Enjoy playing 00:01:47.311 --> 00:01:48.971 these board games but don't forget 00:01:48.971 --> 00:01:51.001 about playing the real things in person. 00:01:51.001 --> 00:01:52.701 It's a very human experience.