by David Park

Created on: January 08, 2009

Video games are on a completely different level than board games. They are extremely diverse, and can entertain for days. There are video games that are made from board games and have been improved, creating more playing options of old favourites. Board games, although there are many different types, have a much smaller range of diversity. For example, there is the board game "Topple". The players place blocks strategically on a pyramid-shaped board which is suspended off the ground by a thin pole, causing the pyramid to be very tippy. As more and more blocks are added, the pyramid's balance is compromised for greed for points, and it eventually falls over. Rinse and repeat. There are many video games for any gaming system which have multiplayer capabilities, giving them either a competitive feel or an option to play with your friends to move forward.

The one major difference between video games and board games is the fact that board games cannot bring out deep emotions within somebody. They do not tell a story. Admittedly, a board game can bring out jealousy, rage, sadness, or a certain kind of glee that only comes from finally beating your older sister at the game she insists on playing all the time, but can they make you contemplate your life? Can they bring tears from the bottom of your heart? Some video games can. Many video games are role-playing, meaning that you follow a character as they go through a story. This story is full of action, adventure, and life messages. Practically any Japanese-made Role-Playing Game that is made nowadays has an intense storyline to keep the player enthralled. Whether it is going through challenges to find a 'Relic' to save the loved one who died ten years past, saving the world from an evil man who wants to destroy it using a giant 'Meteor', or using the Force to save all beings of the universe, they all have one thing in common; a self-realization of the main character. Even in the board game the Game of Life, in which you are supposed to live your life, you never question your own existence. Video games make you think not only strategically, but also insightfully. The player becomes the character of the game the moment that they can understand what the character is going through. This leads to the creation of emotion that one can find in video games. Without the player understanding the character, the game becomes just words on the screen, or voices yelling "Haaa!" a lot. Board games never even give the option of this

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