Home :. Articles :. Online Backgammon, Chess and Scrabble vs. Traditional Board Games
Yet, Simon Woodhead from the Sydney Backgammon Club, the backgammon representative who had talked to stuff.co.nz on the renewed thrive of traditional board games due to online play, still prefers the old fashion backgammon way. In addition to his personal preference, Woodhead find traditional, over the board play safer than internet play, especially when it comes to playing backgammon for money:
"I don't play online for money because I don't trust the online sites - not so much the sites as the people on the other end. The problem is that with the wide availability of free, powerful backgammon-playing programs, it is easy to cheat. The play sites try to detect that sort of thing by looking at playing patterns and winning patterns but the bottom line is not to play for high stakes online".
Another downside of playing online was presented by the spokesperson for the NSW branch of Scrabble Australia, Jean Balmer, which can apply for backgammon and chess: "online you are just playing against a computer or someone you can't see. It's completely different when you play face-to-face - there is a psychological aspect." She also ads that the difference between the online rating system and the one used in regular scrabble competitions often causes players to overestimate their skill level, and when they finally visit a live tournament "they get an awful shock".
The main difficulty online backgammon players experience when they face a first live tournament is the hassle of setting up the backgammon board over and over again. "They are used to being able to push a button and have the board set itself up", says Woodhead, "but they really enjoy it when they get into it."
Online Backgammon, Chess and Scrabble vs. Traditional Board Games
"When you play online, you can't play an illegal move but if you're playing a friend and the friend doesn't notice, you sometimes get things wrong." Richard Gastineau-Hills of the NSW Junior Chess League in Australia describes the benefits of playing chess online, comparing to the traditional way of getting acquaintance with the game rules. Gastineau-Hills saying are also valid to online backgammon as well.Yet, Simon Woodhead from the Sydney Backgammon Club, the backgammon representative who had talked to stuff.co.nz on the renewed thrive of traditional board games due to online play, still prefers the old fashion backgammon way. In addition to his personal preference, Woodhead find traditional, over the board play safer than internet play, especially when it comes to playing backgammon for money:
"I don't play online for money because I don't trust the online sites - not so much the sites as the people on the other end. The problem is that with the wide availability of free, powerful backgammon-playing programs, it is easy to cheat. The play sites try to detect that sort of thing by looking at playing patterns and winning patterns but the bottom line is not to play for high stakes online".
Another downside of playing online was presented by the spokesperson for the NSW branch of Scrabble Australia, Jean Balmer, which can apply for backgammon and chess: "online you are just playing against a computer or someone you can't see. It's completely different when you play face-to-face - there is a psychological aspect." She also ads that the difference between the online rating system and the one used in regular scrabble competitions often causes players to overestimate their skill level, and when they finally visit a live tournament "they get an awful shock".
The main difficulty online backgammon players experience when they face a first live tournament is the hassle of setting up the backgammon board over and over again. "They are used to being able to push a button and have the board set itself up", says Woodhead, "but they really enjoy it when they get into it."
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