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Modern Backgammon: Mobile play versus Real-life

Last updated on October 30, 2022

In the modern world, people are becoming more and more attached to their mobile devices. Stand on a busy street and watch the people pass by. Every second person will be walking along interacting with their smartphone. Mobile devices have created a world consisting of two groups. The first group enjoys being online and interacting with the world of social media, their lives revolve around the internet. The second group prefers to do things the old-fashioned way, offline with social interaction taking place face to face. In this Deluxe Backgammon post, we will take a look at the pros and cons of mobile play vs real-life.

For thousands of years, the only way to play backgammon was face to face. It was a social game that brought people together across the board to test their skills and to interact socially. Now mobile devices are also influencing the world of backgammon, providing a new way to play against opponents across the world twenty-four hours a day as long as you have an internet connection. One of the most accessible online programs was Microsoft’s Internet Backgammon, which sadly is now being decommissioned.

Advantages: Mobile Backgammon

Mobile backgammon, as the term suggests, is mobile. It can be played offline on your smartphone or tablet anywhere. As long as you have access to an electricity supply you can play endless games of backgammon. Playing against a CPU is a great way to practice and analyse your gameplay. If you have access to the internet countless online sites let you play against real people for fun or money. Mobile backgammon also gives you the options to customise your gaming environment. You can configure the colour of the board and checkers.

XG Gammon Mobile.
XG Gammon Mobile.

Another advantage of online play is that you have a wider choice of opponents. If you are playing real-life backgammon your choice of opponent is limited to those people within the same room. Most of the online backgammon sites will use an algorithm that will match you against opponents with similar backgammon skills and experience.

Finally, online backgammon sites will track your progress through levels and provide feedback on your standard of play. This is something a human opponent may not be able to do due to lack of experience. Analysing your play and competing against opponents of a higher standard is one way of improving your backgammon play.

Advantages: Real-life Backgammon

We may be a little biased, but here at Deluxe Backgammon, we think nothing beats the tactile nature of playing with a quality backgammon set with real checkers and a real board. You feel like you are physically part of the game and that you have an impact on the overall result. Luxury backgammon sets are also aesthetically pleasing, they are a pleasure to look at and play. This is something you simply don’t get when holding a tablet made of plastic and glass.

Albert Friedrich Schröder. A Game of Backgammon.
Albert Friedrich Schröder. A Game of Backgammon.

Social interaction is also a major benefit of real-life backgammon. You have the opportunity to simply talk with the person across the board. At Deluxe Backgammon our favourite games are those played over a cup of coffee or a pint of beer. Additionally, in real-life backgammon, you get to see (and enjoy) the facial expression of your opponent as you roll a double six to win a match.

Finally, with real-life backgammon, you never have to worry about running out of power or losing an internet connection. As long as you have a willing opponent across the board you can play.  

Conclusion

Both options have their advantages, but at Deluxe Backgammon our preference is always for real-life play. That’s not to say we don’t use mobile backgammon applications, because we do and there are software recommendations on this website. Nothing beats playing with good friends on a quality backgammon set in a real-life environment.

One Comment

  1. Francisco Francisco

    Nice post!!

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