As a relatively avid computer and board gamer, I'd like to make the following comparisons: Computer games are nice in the fact that you can often times play solo. They're also nice in the fact that you can, usually, play as little or as much as you want whenever you want. However, I find that computer games are largely impersonal (even when playing multi-player vs. live folks), and other than a few select titles, computer games don't generally require a whole lot of thought/strategizing. Board games, on the other hand, can really get the brain cells burnin'.... and there's nothing quite as satisfying as crushing the folks sitting around the table with you. Boardgames are way ahead when it comes to the social aspects -- how often do you have guests over for dinner and then invite them to play CounterStrike with you? The drawback with board-games is, obviously, the fact that you need the time/people to really get into 'em. Another advantage with board games is that you can use/play/enjoy them for the rest of your life, whereas computer games are tied to the technology they're developed on (almost all computer games become (nearly) obsolete after, what, 5 years?). As much as I love computer games, I still enjoy boardgaming more --it's a pity that I can't do it whenever I want though. Back to Table of Contents -- Game! # 10 To Game! List of Issues To MagWeb Master Magazine List © Copyright 2004 by George Phillies. This article appears in MagWeb.com (Magazine Web) on the Internet World Wide Web. Other articles from military history and related magazines are available at http://www.magweb.com