Video games have been slowly killing physical games like pinball and board games, but now they're starting to bring them back. Thanks to new distribution channels and control methods, these old-school games are making a comeback and reaching a brand new audience, one that is partially made up of players who have never experienced a real-world pinball machine or board game. Ars spoke with several developers to learn just what it is about these games that makes them so enduring, even in the digital age.

Pinball has been in a steady decline for a while. With arcades in North America virtually disappearing, the natural habitat of the pinball table has been drastically reduced. And unlike video games, pinball requires a lot of space, an expensive table, and plenty of maintenance. Not exactly ideal for home entertainment. That is, unless you make a video game version of the game.

Zen Studios has had quite a bit of success doing just that with games like Zen Pinball, Pinball FX, and, more recently, Marvel Pinball. Thanks to digital download platforms like Xbox Live Arcade and the PlayStation Network, the studio has managed to create games that may not have had a place in a traditional retail environment, which has allowed it to bring the game of pinball to a whole new audience.

"It's natural that a game like pinball will evolve over time and reinvent itself for the next generation," Zen's Mel Kirk told Ars. "A video game adaption was a natural next step for the history of the game. We are finding that a large group of our fan base is really experiencing pinball for the first time, even to the point where we receive fan mail from people saying things like, 'My dad thinks it hilarious that I am turning into a pinball fanatic.'"

But in addition to reaching new players, a video game version of pinball also allows the developers to create new features and experiences that would be impossible on a traditional pinball table. The Blade table in Marvel Pinball shifts from day to night, for instance, while Wolverine's table features a battle between tiny, but vicious, mutants. These features simply couldn't exist on a real-life table.

"There is no doubt that we have a lot more freedom afforded to us in the video game world than in the machine world, so we can do more to enhance gameplay," explained Kirk. "The ability to have interactive objects and models along with ball effects is something that machine builders dreamed about. We have learned a great deal from many of the classic tables and designers such as the Williams/Bally tables from the early '90s, and one of the biggest things is that there is a basic formula you cannot go away from which includes an array of technical aspects, and the fact that the game must be fun."

And then there's the online nature of video games. Being able to view leaderboards online and compare scores with friends across the world is a natural fit for pinball. It gives the game a multiplayer feel, even when you're actually playing alone. But it's also great for boardgames, which require someone else to play against. In a video game, you can play against a computer-controlled opponent or, better yet, against friends online. That's what has made games like the XBLA version of Settlers of Catan so successful.

But digital remakes of board games have also benefited from the rise in popularity of touchscreen devices—namely, the iPhone and iPad. This control interface has allowed developers to better recreate the experience of sitting down around a table and laying down game pieces or tiles.

"Playing a board game with mouse or gamepad isn't as much fun as playing it and being able to touch all of the components, move or rotate them very close to the way you'd manipulate them in the real world," Big Daddy's Creations' ?ukasz ?azarecki told Ars. "Board games on iDevices don't stop being board games after changing to video games and that's what makes [the] iPhone and iPad so attractive for people who like to play board games."

BDC recently released a version of the highly regarded post-apocalyptic board game Neuroshima Hex on the App Store. The iOS port plays almost exactly like its real-world counterpart, though a few changes were made along the way.