Games are as old as humanity, and for good reason. They meet a perennial need we all share for fun and communal activity, can test our skills and ability to think strategically, and are an excellent way to pass the time and unwind. 

Games are also constantly evolving. Back in early Mesopotamia, we can find ancestors to many popular titles still enjoyed today, from dice throwing to football – yet their appearance, to modern eyes, may be deceiving.

Even in the modern period, many games have undergone surprising degrees of transformation as they adapt to new technologies and emergent trends. Of these, by far the most noteworthy in recent years has been the shift towards computing technology, which has given rise to a new generation of digital games.

This has created new possibilities for gaming far beyond what people even one hundred years ago could have imagined. With incredible graphics, deep storytelling, and massive worlds to explore, it’s no wonder that modern video games have become the preeminent media of the 21st century.

But so-called ‘triple-A’, or big budget, video games, are just part of the story. More people than ever are playing digital games nowadays, thanks largely to the enormous popularity of the smartphone, and with it the arrival of apps.

This trend has led to many classic games making the jump to digital formats, where they’re being rediscovered by gamers of all persuasions. Here we’re going to take a rundown of the games that have made this transition most successfully. 

Poker

Few games conjure an equivalent sense of glamour and mystique as poker. This card game rose to popularity in the 19th century, though its true origins can be dated at least as far back as the 1600s in the form of the Persian game As-Nas. 

With the arrival of the 21st century, poker made one of the most successful transitions of its career when it became among the earliest widely played online games. Reputable names in the space, such as PokerStars, offer digital variants of poker to some 120 million monthly active players who opt to enjoy this classic title in its online form. 

The so-called poker boom of the early 00s validated not only digital poker, but online gaming in general to the mainstream public, and helped pave the way for the wider uptake of esports we’re witnessing today. 

Billiards

Pool, or Billiards, has been around for hundreds of years as has its origins in the family of lawn games that comprise golf and croquet. When exactly this game made the jump from stately gardens to the green felt tables we’re familiar with is hard to say, but the first documented billiard table dates to the 1470s and was a possession of the king of France, Louis XI. 

These tables became much more popular in the 17th and 18th centuries, where pool halls and billiard rooms started to become well documented. 

Pool has transitioned into the digital age through a number of games with varying degrees of authenticity and realism. For example, it’s possible to play 3D pool simulators today such as 2015’s Virtual Pool 4. 

However the most popular pool game played today, arguably across any medium, is a more simplistic affair. 8 Ball Pool was developed by Miniclip back in 2010 and has found a new life as an online minigame played on popular platforms like Facebook. 

Miniclip attests that at present there are around 70 million active players of 8 Ball Pool, and in some countries – such as India – it is the most popular online game played overall.

Chess

Chess has been the favorite game of kings and courts along the silk road for some two thousand years, and its popularity endures to this day.

Online platform Chess.com has become the global hub for chess, and sits at the heart of this classic game of strategy’s bold move into the world of esports.