DCEmu Homebrew, Hacking, Emulation, Gaming and Theme Park News. - The Great Games which have Successfully Gone from Paper to Online

Before console and online gaming, and during the early days, many of the best games came in paper form. Despite video games becoming so incredibly popular and increasingly affordable over the years, many of the best paper games maintained some of their hard-copy-using audience. As the years have gone on, however, video games have revisited these classic paper-form games to bring them to the modern online audience as well as provide a quick and easy way for old fans to rekindle their enjoyment of the games. These are some of the most-loved paper form games from across the format that have earned acclaim in the online space.

From book pages to online streaming

While many will argue that the tabletop, pen and paper role-playing games are the classic form of paper gaming, the role-playing gamebooks certainly boasted a strong audience. In the books, you would read a page, make a decision at the bottom, and then turn to the indicated page to find out what happens next. You choose your journey, make the decisions, pick up items, and level up attributes. In the UK, the Fighting Fantasy books mixed the style of the Choose Your Own Adventure-style with dice rolling from tabletop RPGs.
Most recently, Choose Your Own Adventure has been used as inspiration for an online game/interactive movie in the form of Black Mirror: Bandersnatch, on Netflix. In Bandersnatch, you choose the direction of the movie/game, with many users wondering how you can get to the end and actually win. Unfortunately, Bandersnatch came under fire from Choose Your Own Adventure, with the gamebook brand citing trademark infringements.

From local shops to websites

Source: Pixabay
Quite possibly the most popular paper game among adults is the lottery. The huge jackpots, weekly or bi-weekly draws, and news coverage of the lottery results all help to make it a very appealing game to play. Going down to a local shop, writing down some lucky numbers, and then paying to play the lotteries available in the country is still very popular, but many people have turned to the digital offering to make the process more convenient and diverse.
Nowadays, people can claim online lottery tickets to play their lucky numbers in their domestic and continental lotteries, such as the EuroJackpot, from the convenience of their home or on the go. The experience is the same and made much more convenient, but the possibilities are much greater. Thanks to the internet, people can buy online lottery tickets to any of the biggest lotteries from around the world. For example, someone based in the UK can get a ticket for the massive PowerBall in the USA or Spain’s multi-billion El Gordo.

From paper decks to digital decks

While not as popular anymore, the likes of Pokemon and Yu-Gi-Oh trading cards were all the rave less than 20 years ago. Collecting, trading, building decks, and battling were enjoyable and a test of skill and now, it’s even easier with to play with the online offering. Recently released and possibly the best reincarnation of a classic card game for consoles is Yu-Gi-Oh! Legacy of the Duelist: Link Evolution for the hybrid touch-screen console, the Nintendo Switch. The rather deep game of Duel Monsters is made even easier by the Switch game, with prompts as to when moves can and cannot be made.
The game boasts many story modes that take fans through the ages of Yu-Gi-Oh and over 9,000 cards. Players compete in battles in the story to earn cash and cards, using the cash to open packs for more cards. Best of all, there aren’t any microtransactions, so players have to play, win, and earn their way to getting better cards. Then, they build decks, use them in the story mode and compete online against fellow duelists.
Gamebooks, lotteries, and trading card games all enjoyed their time in the sun in paper form, and now they boast popular versions in the digital space and online.