A table for 6 or so people to sit around. The table top is a touch screen computer screen and installed into the computer are various board games: Risk, Monopoly, Scrabble, Game of Life, Trivial Pursuit etc etc etc. People take their places around the table and choose which game they want to play, and then play away.

Possible to buy CD roms of various other games as required and load them into the table.

I envision that it would not be necessary to purchase counters, dice, community chest cards etc as this would all be part of the display, so nothing to tidy away/set up etc. Just select the game you want to play, input amount of players and let the table do the rest.
Future development would allow kids board games to be emulated 'in-table' as well, possibly allowing for fancier effects and greater possibilities within games, with games eventually being produced solely for the table.
Essentially, there should also be no problem developing this idea to facilitate card games as well.
Special add-ons could be available for games such as Pictionary.

And you can eat your dinner off it when you're finished.
-- ChewTheBeef, Feb 07 2003

Entertaible http://boardgames.a...s-debuts-at-ces.htm
The prototype of the (not currently existing) Entertaible [ilSilvano, Mar 04 2010]

Back in the days of Space Invaders and Galaxians, they used to have game-tables, much in the way that you describe, in some pubs. They were great as tables but not much cop for arcade games because of the awkward position that you had to sit in, in order to play them. I don't see why this should be a problem with the sort of games that you are describing, so croissant with the caveat that I think that the tactile experience of moving the pieces around is part of the attraction of board games.
-- DrBob, Feb 07 2003


I like that one. Digital "Carrom" would be a nice game to develop.

Problem with cards is due to the table top approach you would find it hard to see your cards without showing others so poker would be a no-no.
-- chimpoid, Feb 07 2003


Good point [chimpoid]. I would rather use a pack of cards anyway.

I wish I'd thought of your user name. I'll buy it off you - £5?
-- sild, Feb 07 2003


[chimpoid] "problem with cards is due to the table top approach you would find it hard to see your cards without showing others so poker would be a no-no."

Similar with scrabble and various other games. The obvious solution would be to have small raise-able 'walls' on the table which would hide your hand/letters from others around the table.
-- ChewTheBeef, Feb 07 2003


I think DrBob's got a point. Lots of people like the tactile aspect of board gaming. If you could make the table sensitive to pieces being placed on it, I'd go for one. Even without that, pen and paper games like pictionary would work really well if you could make it pen-based.
-- st3f, Feb 07 2003


Only thing that's keeping this from being baked is cost. But I really do hope that the cost of touch sensitive 60" lcd displays goes down to the point where this is a viable product.
-- netmanakre, Jul 16 2003



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