Well personally, I think it’s high time for a good old-fashioned whinge. Afterall, it’s what us Brits do best isn’t it? The ability to take something completely innocent, something which we could easily avoid with little to no effort whatsoever and then…TALK THE HIND LEGS OFF A DONKEY REGARDING THE SUBJECT. With little to no concern for the poor mule in question, we prattle on with all the coherence of that man who’s always standing there smoking outside your local pub, irritating the utter hell out of everyone who leaves or enters. “Talking bollocks”, as it’s affectionately known in this dear country, is a fun pastime which really does seem to take up the majority of the working week. Before you know it, it’s the weekend and it’s time to have some fun – all before heading back into the ‘office’ on Monday to pick up where you left off.

The reason for my decidedly rambling and stereotypical paragraph and ultimately why I’ve chose to moan my whiny Scottish git face off? Why it’s as simple as Simon and definitely as proud as punch; games developers need to just stop thinking it’s a good idea to transition board games onto computer game’s consoles.

Now I know, I know. I do understand the thought process behind these gaming fiascos and do see why those lovely men and women at certain gaming companies (Gremlin Interactive I am looking at you) churn out videogame versions of classic board games which are a staple of family fun nights up and down the land. The thought that these families would purchase a Playstation 2 along with a copy of “Monopoly” for said console, however, is the thing yours truly is taking issue with here.

Videogames should surely be fun slabs of virtual entertainment which offer you something no other form of entertainment can. Namely, they should endeavour to thrill and captivate you, drawing you into an interactive world of intrigue and…well…fun. What I’m trying to get at here is that there is surely no way the videogame version of “Monopoly” can be anymore fun than the actual, real board game version. The old phrase “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it” springs suddenly and merrily to mind here. That timeless toy game featuring a small man with a moustache and random player pieces such as a dog and a car was doing just fine in physical form until somebody thought it’d be a fantastical idea to put it on a DVD disc and sell it to gamer’s worldwide. There really just appears to be no point.

Now, in saying all this – I have no idea how well videogame versions of various board games sell on the market. For all I know, this very article could well be a laughing stock due to “Chessmaster” and “Hasbro Family Game Night” shifting millions of copies all over the globe. Therefore, I’m really, honestly not having a go at anyone who enjoys these games or has purchased a video board game (what a catchy genre title!) in the past or intends to do so in the future. In my opinion, people are indeed entitled to play whatever the heck they like on their gaming machines. Lord knows I’ve been guilty of playing games which make “Connect Four” on Xbox Live Arcade look thrilling by comparison. (“Disney Pixar’s Cars” anyone?)

I suppose what I’m really wondering in column-form is the reason there is a market to begin with for this sort of fare. Was there really such a demand for “Carcassonne” on the Xbox 360? Was this humble German board game not doing fine where it was, competing within its own market and holding its own in the process? Did it really need to make the jump into the unknown by being shunted out there into videogameland? Could I ask anymore questions?

Having calmed down considerably since I sat down to type this article, perhaps I’ve been a little harsh in my assessment here. Surely, in an entertainment form so diverse, there is some room for harmless fun? Just because Mr. Kennedy doesn’t find it enthralling, doesn’t mean there isn’t a market for it, right? Games such as “Scene It” and “Buzz” do big business and routinely fly off the shelves almost as quickly as they are put on them. Maybe, just maybe, I’m missing a trick here by proclaiming gaming should rid itself of interactive board games. With the Playstation Store/Network and Xbox Live taking off as they are, the element of “pick up and play” seems to be creeping its sneaky little way back into the mix. Therefore, it’s rather easy to see why the recently released ‘Hasbro’ series of titles have snuck their merry way onto Live and are likely racking up the downloads.

Casual gaming is a subject for another day but it is something relevant to the topic at hand here. With Nintendo (and now Microsoft) attempting to diversify the gaming population, creating videogame software based on wildly popular board games and toys is probably quite a shrewd move. Younger and younger children seem to be getting their hands on gaming consoles these days, which brings with it a bristling need for games which relate to those customers. The very same can be said for families, which have been softly introduced to our geeky world via the wonders of the Nintendo “Wii”. It’s all really a part of trying to shift as many units as possible and makes perfectly good business sense.

In any event, this article is beginning to get like an episode of “Thundercats” with all the ‘both viewpoints should be aired equally’ nonsense. I’ll be writing fables which deal with morality next..

I’d like to hear YOUR thoughts on the subject of board games becoming video games and whether or not they have a place in the weird and wacky world of computer gaming. Any feedback whatsoever is more than welcome, even if it’s to call me a miserable old twit who needs to lighten up and let the kids have their fun. I’ll respond to any and all comments as I really do just love talking to others about games. It’s a passion of mine and I’m sure the same can be said for you! Otherwise, why would you have stumbled upon the wonderful GamerRage community? I can be reached at Jamie@GamerRage.co.uk or contacted on the site forums! Until next time..

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