How Technology will impact Table Top Gaming in 2020

Tuesday, January 12th, 2010 at 1:45 am

From early in their history until about five years ago, most Table Top RPG’s (such as Dungeons and Dragons) were known as “Pen and Paper Games.” Although the occasional gadget or dry erase board was sold for gamers, the bulk of the genre was played using a pencil and paper. The character sheets, the monster information, the maps, the treasure, all was recorded, written, or drawn on paper.

In the last five years, however, computers and other technology have changed the industry dramatically. Many players bring their character on a laptop. Some of the publishing companies have even developed Character Generators for their subscribers, easing the process of building and maintaining a character. Online databases make the Game Master’s (GM) job easier as well.

What, then, will the future hold?

Following the foreseeable paths, table top gaming will be affected by several things:

Handheld Devices: Rather than carrying around pencil and paper, each player will keep their character on a cell phone. These will link wirelessly, and the GM will be able to see and alter the stats of each of their players.

Improved Communication: While teleconferencing has already been used for gaming, the improvements and developments that come from this in the next ten years will make it much easier to play with your friend in England and your buddy on study abroad in India.

3D rendering and computerized maps: Gamers will be able to bring up maps and images, adjust or tweak them, and display them in full color and 3D across the gaming table. This will make three dimensional combat easier to get your mind around.
The game itself will probably still be the same. No dice roller could replace the visceral clunk of a critical hit, or the fear of the GM rolling too many dice.