Chess in the era of Video Games

Chess is a beautiful game - it has to be to have survived millenia of human civilization and its development. With that said, what do you think the role of chess is in our technology era? Certainly, it does not use technology to the fullest and the general culture of our society is pushing us towards instant, real-time sources of entertainment. Furthermore, what is the role of chess in proving mental prowess when there are games like Starcraft 2 where players have to not only think 10 moves ahead, but also make 400 APM? In short, will the chess of tomorrow be the 'Game of Kings' it was in the past?

The problem with Starcraft is it isn't turnbased and mostly relies on clicking really fast.  There's also armies you build up over time so not everyone starts even.  In Chess white has first move but it's evened out by black having more information and eventually neutralizing white's slight initiative. 

I hate the way they're always changing the rules also. You just spend a couple of years getting good at a game, then all of a sudden they change everything and/or everyone starts playing something else. 

At least with chess you know that when you come on one day the forums aren't going to be full of "omg did you hear what they did? They nerfed the knights! now it can't make one of its moves!".... what complete nonsense! Admittedly they changed chess' rules for years also, but not for the past couple of hundred years so they won't be changed appreciably now.  

This is how it's always going to be with videogames. Because there is no money to be made with keeping to the status quo. They'll always be changing mechanics and graphics and bringing out expansions because that's how they make their money. They also do incredibly complex and scary psychology and marketing to make sure to get the mainstream to follow along. 

Go is still strong and going for the past who knows how many thousands years without a break. Chess will remain just as the same.

You mean the Skinner Box technique and EA's marketing strategies like when they had the fake church group protesting one of their games to give it credibility? 

With all this said, what do you think is the role of Chess in modern times, where there're games with fancy graphics, mechanics, and huge international tournaments.

Sophisticated video games and other forms of electronic entertainment have been with us for a long time now, yet here we are still playing chess.

There is no real evidence to suggest that chess is any less popular today than it has ever been. It's still a game played by millions of people around the world at all levels, every day.

As far as demonstrating "mental prowess" goes, there is far less tactical and strategic depth in video games such as Starcraft 2 than there is in chess. Even more complex strategy computer games such as the Civilization and Europa Universalis series - although presenting the player with an almost bewildering array of choices - arguably lack the pure, abstract intellectual depth of chess.

I really don't think we can say this in any real way. Certainly chess has been more vastly more intensively studied than any of those games, but there's no real way to say they lack the "intellectual depth" of chess.  

I agree with Uhohspaghettio and furthermore claim that Starcraft 2 has just as much strategic potential as chess, albeit its is shrouded by the real-time action. It's hard to compare the two games because they're so different.

While in Chess, players have to think 10 moves ahead, SC2 players have to gather information through clever forms of scouting and agile unit manipulation. Player of both games have to invest many hours into mastering the game and memorizing patterns until they can be recalled like second nature. 

The rule changing in modern video games might just be because the games are so new. When video games have been played and developed for hundreds of years, I'm sure there'll be a standard game for professional players to play. Still, the balance of SC2 is pretty formidable and the nerfing of the stalker or addition of the spider mine only adds new content to keep our interests and compete with other games. I'm sure when Blizzard gets a monopoly on the vg industry, they would seek to perfect a game to secure its place in the official international entertainment area. 

I think the essence of all competitive games is to push our capabilities to the maximum so if one day aliens were to visit, they could see our potential. That might be why SC2 is more suited to test humans in our instant, fast-paced world.

In the end though, artificial intellgence dominates whether it be in Chess, Starcraft, or the real world O.o

#SkynetApocalypse

What the hell?

Not all jokes come from hell.

a future arrives the power is gone no electricity no gas nada

by firelight 2 sit at a wooden board utilising wooden pieces painstakingly yet lovingly crafted

the future as the past will always be chess

That sounds beautiful Rkane275 :'c.

@stuzzicadenti Super Mario is the one classic!

After the AI dominate us in war. First it's on the board. Then it's on the map. Then... 

no solar flares and also our overuse of resources could make this happen

People also worry about the fate of printed books after the advent of e-readers and whatnot but we see that these things have not affected the trend of reading printed books at all. So similarly, no, i don't think that video games will have any positive or negative effect on the development or popularity of chess. 

Also, is there any concrete evidence that chess or video games increase mental prowess of humans?

kahaqqani wrote:

I disagree with your claim, kahaqqani. A more apt source for your analogy would be the fate of OTB Chess after the advent of internet Chess. A more apt analogy for the relation between Chess and video games is the fate of books after the advent of film.

Agreed, Huey. There's a bunch of evidence that can be acquired from a quick Google search but that's irreleveant to the topic anyways.

How is that a "problem?" And it definitely doesn't "mostly rely" on clicking really fast. That's like saying blitz relies on moving really fast. There's way more to it than that. Also, you do start even in starcraft, lol. What are you even talking about?

JPtheK9 wrote:

I disagree with your claim, kahaqqani. A more apt source for your analogy would be the fate of OTB Chess after the advent of internet Chess. A more apt analogy for the relation between Chess and video games is the fate of books after the advent of film.

Okay, but still by your analogies i don't see video games becoming a hindrance for chess development. It is just a matter of taste if some prefer chess over video games.