Tabletop Gaming vs Video Gaming

Stacey Warner debates Tabletop Gaming vs Video Gaming. Let the games begin. Sorry.

At first I wasn’t entirely sure why I wanted to write a piece like this but then it occurred to me; in my heart I just really love gaming. I’ve been doing it for as long as I can remember. My Grandad taught me how to play Chess when I was about 6 or 7 years old. (I don’t remember exactly, I just remember where we were living at the time). About that time I was also bought one of those brilliant 100 games in one console thingies that were all the rage in the 90s. Since then I’ve on and off played all sorts of video games across many consoles and lived out a brief spell working in Gamestation. My table top experience was a lot less varied but I loved Cluedo and could hold my own in most card games… that was until just over a year ago when my friend opened my eyes to the vast amount of games out there.

The only area in which my table top experience is now seriously lacking is roleplaying and I’m sure that will change before long. But which of the two rules my heart?

 

Social Factor

 

There are two things I really love games for and they are two entirely different factors. I love Games that I can just get some “screw you world this is me time” kind of hours in. But I’m also really competitive and love the edge of battling wits with someone and really it is that thirst for competition that got me into gaming in the first place. Social connectivity has become an increasingly important factor so how does the act of gaming live up to this?

Well, Video Gaming in my opinion has the best “me time” factor. I accept that CoD is a lot more fun with other players. However, nothing quite beats a couple of hours of roaming Cyrodiil by myself. For the social, competitive factor, however, I would say Tabletop wins hands down. Nothing quite spurs on the desire to win like making eye contact with someone concentrating on what their next move will be and wondering how you can dick them over and win. Just be careful of cheering your victory too actively – no ones going to thank you for spilling chips and dips over their board!

Tabletop: 1 Video: 1

 

Immersion

 

Games, like most of the best things in this world, are so popular for their ability to transport us as far away from real life as possible and straight into a whole new one. So how do we create this immersion and belief in a new world- what works successfully? I think a big part is story and characters with relatable motives. Either that or we tap into a hidden desire (such as playing the evil villain) that you can’t practice in real life. Sure, we’d all like to run around stealing cars and picking up ho’s but we can’t, can we? Maybe it is because I haven’t dived into the world of role playing but I really find that Video Games win hands down on the immersive front. I’ve lost count of the amount of buildings Etzio has fallen off of and I’ve gasped with fright. I love that my actions and own reflex’s allow me to discover a whole world. Tabletop pushes my imagination but it’s never had me gazing at beautiful landscapes in the way Video Gaming has!

Tabletop: 1 Video: 2

 

Storytelling and Creativity

 

Gaming really allows us to connect with stories in a way that other media does not. Although I have praised Video Games for allowing me to explore new worlds, with the exception of Simulation games, I don’t feel that they let us create worlds in the way Tabletop does. With many games played at tabletops essentially based around story telling, even the ones that aren’t can invoke your imagination to picture the world it is set in.

I’m not going to sit here with a placard saying Video Games rot your imagination because they don’t and screw you if you think that, but I love the engagement with my creative centre when I play at a tabletop. I also think Tabletop games seem to explore a wider variety of stories- possibly because they already sell to a niche market and therefore there is no need to make it as commercially accessible as possible.

Tabletop: 2 Video: 2

 

I haven’t really been able to figure out what I love more. So I figured I’d ask some of my friends what they think and here’s what they said:

Alan (23): (On roleplaying )“With Tabletop gaming it’s a brilliant chance to see a GM’s ability to think on his feet…most players immerse themselves into the setting and become their character. The closest to lag or a glitch you get is someone needing to leave the table briefly or the GM saying “you can’t do x, y or z.” and the game still runs smoothly” (On Video Gaming) “These are for the people with money, time and disorganised friends, you can sit at home, play in your own time, not having to wait on the guy next to you to sort through his list of abilities before getting down to doing whatever you want… you can drop in or out at a moments notice, they truly are a thing of convenience.”

Emma (21): (On Video Games – RPG / Stealth) “Real life can get rather boring, especially once you leave the world of education and start working 9 to 5. Getting a few hours of exploring a different world, or a city in a historical setting, (as a history/archaeology graduate the latter setting is my all time favourite) is a good way to relax and just escape the blandness and stresses of modern life.”

(On Video Games – Point & Click) “Some of these games will be serious and you’ll need to use logic. However, most of the ones I have played in the past have been ones where you have to use an altogether different logic, and that’s normally cartoon logic!”

Andrew (25): (On Euro Board Games) “Euro games differ from traditional American games in that in an American game you roll a dice/draw a card and do what the card/space tell you to. In a euro game you might roll 4 dice and choose the one you want or have a hand of cards and choose what order you play them in. Essentially euro games present you with choices and dilemmas which more accurately model a variety of life situations, as a result they require a more analytical mind-set and I find them more rewarding.”

 Clearly gaming is a very universal activity, so whether you wriggle joysticks or roll dice… Game on! And don’t forget to comment below and on Facebook with your favourite games!

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