Introduction

Gaming, whether through physical toys or board games has been one of the most widely known form of entertainment and stress-reliever for mankind across multiple different cultures spanning hundreds (if not thousands) of years in history. It is safe to say that almost of all us grew up playing with a toy of some sort; it could be a action figure, make-up doll or even simple pebbles and stones with unique rules and gameplay elements made up purely using imagination and creativity.

Gaming is enjoyed by all ages, whether through digital video games, or physical games. Image copyright and sourced from https://www.thedadsnet.com/best-video-games-play-kids/

It is no surprise that gaming has evolved through recent history with the adoption of computing technology. Video gaming is now a multi-billion dollar business across the globe and as more and more of our society gets plugged in to digital computers and handheld technology, it is bound to grow even more.

Thus there exists a gap between the traditional, toy and tabletop board game based gaming industry and the video gaming industry. Let us just quickly explore popular attempts at bridging the gap before introducing the main character of this article, the PlayTable.

Video games that simulate board games

The most common and widely seen implementations of bringing the joy of board games such as Monopoly to computers and gaming consoles were through game publishers licensing their IP to video gaming development companies.

Monopoly Plus, for the PC

According to Wikipedia, there has been 17 official Monopoly branded video games that simulate the physical Monopoly board game, with the first game being developed and published as early as 1985. These video games share the same concept since 1985 till today, which is using a digital screen and physical input devices such as the keyboard and mouse to simulate actions. Recent advancements in online multiplayer technology also meant that gamers can now play with their friends and family without leaving their home.

Of course, aside from Monopoly are dozens of other board-game based video games on almost every platform we can imagine of, such as Settlers of Catan, Splendor, etc. However these video games, even with their beautiful digital graphics and artwork seldom recreate the magic of sitting down together with friends and families, bonding over a good old Catan game.

Digital screens isolate a person with the outside world, voiding them of physical contact with other human beings. As the New York Times puts it: Human contact is becoming a luxury good.

How do we secure our future as social animals and fight back against the digital world invading us at ever increasing speeds? Well, we don’t have to. Enter the PlayTable.

The 8Hours Foundation promises a revolutionary gaming console that aims to reconnect lost social bonds and interactions, all while embracing the power of both physical games and screen-based video games.

The PlayTable is a massive, 24" table-top gaming console tailor made to satisfy the needs of a modern gamer as well as a traditionalist table-top gamer. Games are rendered in full 2D or 3D graphics to take advantage of recent advancements in computer graphics.

What makes the PlayTable unique is its RFID-enabled touchscreen. The entire screen allows players to interact with it in a physical manner, just like how Settlers of Catan players needed to interact with each other while playing the board-game version. Toys, game pieces, game statistics, authenticity of toys and ownership data can be registered and tied to unique individual IDs through Blockchain technology. This would truly bridge the gap between the physical world and the digital world as records are able to be written in a public and immutable way. Bragging rights over wins and losses and no more arguing over whether a rare Pokemon or Magic: the Gathering card is real or fake!

PlayTable’s implementation of RFID, Blockchain and video games showcases the future of table-top video and social gaming, as each interaction requires physical presence just like a traditional board game. The physical nature of the console requires players to gather around a table which will rekindle social bonds and the fun of just being together with each other.

Aside from using it as a gaming console, teachers and educators can replace their students’ iPads and transform the classroom into a gamified, social interaction based learning environment. The video above showcases its potential for screens to be integrated in our daily lives without fearing it would isolate our society even more.

Conclusion

It is clear that personal digital technologies such as smartphones and tablets would increasingly be more prevalent as time passes. There is no turning back and attempts to resist the digital revolution would prove to get more difficult. With the PlayTable, the 8Hours Foundation offers a choice for us to integrate and embrace such digital technologies in a way that reduces the harmful effects of digital screen isolation to our society.

The PlayTable is now on pre-order and is priced at $449. To learn more about the PlayTable and the 8Hours Foundation on how it aims to achieve its goal of connecting lost social bonds, visit the official website at https://www.8hoursfoundation.org/ and https://www.playtable.com.

Join the conversation and Telegram community at t.me/The8HoursFoundation.