5 Popular Indoor Games That You Can Now Play Online

These games have been part of our childhoods. Now revive those times by playing them on your mobile screen! Let’s take a look at these 5 indoor games that have been perfectly adapted into their digital avatars.

Long gone are the days when indoor games were the perfect pastime for every family. I recall playing carrom with my family on weekends. A huge talcum powder box was set beside the board and the tough competition between my grandmother and father thrilled me and my mother. When did we really begin to forget the fun of indoor games? Salvaging my nostalgia, however, many of these games have today been transformed into their digital avatars. Now you can play them on your mobile or computer screen. Here are a few indoor games that have been reborn into digital games:

Ludo

Ludo is an ancient Indian board game (also known as Pachisi) that was played not only during the time of the Mughals but apparently as far back as the time of the Ajanta Caves! There is evidence of the board game on the ancient cave paintings. If you recollect, a version of this game can also be found in the epic story of Mahabharata, being played between Yudhishthira and Duryodhana. The game is played by either four or two people. You are allotted four tokens and have to race them from start to finish, based on the role of your dice. Luckily, this classic game is now available on Google Play and Apple store as an app called Ludo. You don’t need to have a partner to play the game as the app randomly matches you with someone. The digital game also allows you to chat with your partner or your opponent. Send texts like “This is war!” to scare your opponent, in this game that’s notorious for raising tempers!

Chess

Chess originated in Eastern India from the 6^th century game Chaturanga, from which the name ‘shatranj’ later evolved in the Islamic world. It was a popular pastime in history and remains one today. In this two-player strategy game, your ultimate goal is to checkmate the opponent’s King. There are 16 pieces on each side, with characters like Kings, Queens, Bishops, Knights, Rooks and Pawns. Most of the rules that we are familiar with today were formulated after the game reached Italy and Spain. Many believe that playing chess makes the brain sharp. This might explain why the game has always been so popular! It’s not easy to come up with strategies to beat the opponent! Now play chess online.

Mahjong

This Chinese game sure looks boring at first glance, but once you learn the rules of the game, you will get addicted to it. Mahjong is a tile-based strategy game for four players. It originated in the Qing Dynasty of China. Similar to chess, it is a strategy game that helps you work on your thinking skills. The game is quite famous in Asia and is often played while gambling. Since gambling is based on thinking skills, playing Mahjong can be both fun as well as an exercise for the brain! Each player is given 13 tiles, until one of them draws a legal hand with the help of the 14^th tile. The traditional game has now been brought to the digital platform, with many Mahjong apps available on the App Store.

Carrom

This game, too, is believed to have originated in the Indian subcontinent. Carrom is most frequently played in countries like India, Pakistan, Nepal, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. In this four-player game, your role is to flick a striker using your fingers in order to hit the other disks on the board. This explains why the British often use the word ‘cannon’ to describe a carrom shot! The goal is to put as many disks as possible into the four pockets at the corners. The ultimate goal is to pocket the pink disk, also known as Rani (Queen). The game has now been launched on the digital platform. You no longer need to think hard and act though! Angles are automatically decided by the game and all you have to do is hit the striker as hard as you can!

Poker

The famous game of Poker is mostly used to gamble and is also considered a popular party game. Played using playing cards, you have to bluff the other players in the game in order to win it. The task of the game is to make specific card combinations, which are only revealed at the end of the game. The game originated in the 19^th century in the United States and has now become famous across digital platforms, with games like Texas HoldEm Poker. In real life, only 7 players can sit on the table, but in the digital game, more than 8 players can play together.

There’s no doubt that these digital games can induce nostalgia. But nothing can quite replace the feeling of playing indoor games with real and tangible tools, isn’t it? But on the other hand, you don’t need to carry around boards or pieces with you in order to play digital games. Enjoy them at any place, any time!