Gaming used to have more obstacles as we’d have to buy a console, or other equipment such as board games. However, the age of the smartphone has made just about everything easier and while some of us still yearn for the 8-bit look of a Game Boy, there’s something to be said for the fact we can carry around a huge library of games in our pockets.

A good game is a good game, whether it was invented hundreds of years ago and used blocks, cards, and counters, or it was released last week and has photorealistic graphics and a powerful gaming engine you don’t fully understand.

Access to games old and new just means reaching into your pocket. Rather than focus on the new apps and games being released, we’re looking at some older games that have been updated with new interfaces and new ways of playing.

Blackjack

People played blackjack in the 1700s, and it is still popular today, but if you’d shown the people playing in clubs and social gatherings 400 years ago the fact that they could one day play on a pocket device, they probably wouldn’t have believed you.

Blackjack is built around a simple concept – aren’t all the top games? Revolutionized by the internet, as so many other games were, more people now play blackjack online than play it in person.

The transition from being an old game played with cards to something played on the screen involves a simple interface, where the cards are decided using a random number generator and shown to the player, who can choose whether to stick or twist.

Blackjack games are also still evolving and some online casinos provide live dealer games, connecting players to a specific dealer via a video stream.

Pokemon

What started out as a and a Game Boy game and a card game has evolved (pun intended) into something so much bigger, and Pokemon games continue to be popular today.

We’re not just talking about the fact that players can log in and play on Pokemon Go to catch their favorite creatures, either, there are numerous Pokemon games, and for those who yearn to play the original games released in the 90s, there are ways to do this, particularly by using a piece of emulator software which can allow you to port old games onto an Android phone. Apple is a bit more closed-off in its approach so it is harder to find ways to play those games, but there’s still Pokemon Go, which is still popular after proving a viral sensation when it launched. All these years later, you’ve still gotta catch ‘em all!

Scrabble

Scrabble is a word game played on a board, players get a selection of letters and have to make the best possible word out of them, tactically using the board’s double and triple letter squares to further maximize their score.

Scrabble online has now become very popular, and as well as the official Scrabble Go app there are a number of other alternatives that have similar concepts and gameplay. People love the ability to play with others around the world and this is one of the big plus points of many of the retro and historic games that have been turned into phone apps or that people can play on mobile now.

Wordsmiths and people who want to work on expanding their vocabulary may play Scrabble regularly, and some people even use it as a tool for learning the English language. The mobile version just creates an interface that looks exactly like the game, and this way you can make sure your friends aren’t cheating while playing, too.

Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic

Another game we’re heading back to the 90s for, and this game is one of the trailblazers in the tycoon and simulation game genres, which still holds up today. Rollercoaster Tycoon is so good that in spite of much more modern games like Planet Coaster being available, lots of people would rather put up with the blocky design and average graphics to play the original theme park building game.

Rollercoaster Tycoon Classic’s controls can be a little clunky on mobile, but generally, it has ported pretty well to Android and is a good option for those who miss the feel of early PC games. Players build their park from nothing and turn it into an empire, trying to tempt guests to try their new rides. It is available on the Google Play store.

Conclusion

Human history has always given us games, whether it is Go, a game played with tokens that were invented in ancient China, or the early console game hits like Pong. Now, with the tech that sits in our pockets all the time, many of these games are available to play while sitting on the train waiting for an appointment, or just having a lazy day at home.