If you have an Apple TV or the Digital AV adapter you can view what's on the iPad screen on your HDTV. It might work out a little better since everyone will be able to more easily see the game board.

If you already own the game, why replace it with a "screen" version -- not exactly a "green" thing to do. Besides, sometimes it's nice to turn off the telescreen and enjoy the analog life.

Sounds great, let's throw away all my other childhood memories too!

I don't know, it just seems kind of sad.

I'll admit we did play Mad Libs on my husband's phone last week in a restaurant when we were waiting for our food.

Nothing will ever replace actual physical board games, or books in my house. Ever.

AT had this post about storing board games:
http://www.apartmenttherapy.com/storing-board-g-115558

I like the look of the game pieces in glass jars, then display or store the game boards.

Wow do I hate this idea.

Everyone already spends too much time with their eyes glued to computer/smart phone/tablet screens as it is. We are becoming a society of chronic eyestrain. Now you're suggesting we forgo logging off to sit down and play a board game in favor of passing around a computer? Is this post sponsored by the American Association of Optometrists?

Each day, this blog become more and more stupid with stupid advices...

Idiocracy, here we come.

What are you supposed to do when the lights are out and you can't charge your iPad? Or when your out camping?

BAD IDEA!

Wow, people, relax. This is a good idea for some, and may not be helpful for others. Personally, we have some board games we love, and some that are probably taking up more space in the house than they deserve. Those would be good candidates for replacing with a digital version, while we would hang onto the ones that seem better in hard version for whatever reason. And, oh, look at that--if you actually read the post, that's exactly what it suggested. I'm glad to learn that a digital option may exist.

"Nothing will ever replace actual physical board games, or books in my house. Ever."

Agreed!!

I hate this idea. I have a weekly poker game, how about we all just bring iPads and play online? or better yet stay home? No thank you!

Also, boards games are usually played with kids. And it's really creeping me out how tech saavy young young children are these days. They're already glued to angry birds. Now people are starting to throw out board games, too? Not cool.

We love Ticket to Ride (have two versions) but the only time I can see using the app would be when we're traveling. Otherwise, there is something to be said for clearing the table and getting out all those little pieces (and then making certain we have all the little pieces when we put it away). Too much screen time as it is and there is something to be said for actually manipulating the pieces to games. And I say this as someone whose husband is a board game junkie and we've got enough for about five families.

How am I suppose to flip the game in the air when I'm losing????

Don't replace, supplement. I have Scrabble on my iPad and I love it, I play all the time on my commute. But if I can sweet talk my teens into a game at home, we're playing on the board with the little wooden tiles. Like someone up above said, kids get enough screen time. Sometimes they need to turn off the iLife and join real life.

Don't do it! The "table talk" of teasing and kidding around while gathered around the game board is priceless. Our now grown kids have saved score cards and written in the box top since they were little. We love checking out who won the game on Christmas past...

I thought half the fun was to watch the kids moving their little "men" around the board, counting, and getting all excited?

Besides all the reasons exposed above, I think this replacement would be kind of sad for the economy! Imagine how many income will local toy shops will loose :(

"Nothing will ever replace actual physical board games, or books in my house. Ever."

ditto

Personally, I wouldn't replace favorite games with digital ones. However, as with books, I like to have some hard copies and some digital ones. It could be nice to have a favorite game available in multiple formats for different experiences, just as its nice to read a real book sometimes, but I don't want to have to pack more than a kindle for a vacation.

So I can fry my eyeballs?

Nothing replaces the fun of playing the physical games.

I think one of the fun things we did as a kid was when we got bored with our games, we used the board and/or pieces to invent our own games with them.

Another thing I just thought of - I hope these games don't automatically move our playing pieces for you. We use board games to help our kids learn to count...

Come on people, the point of a board game is to play with friends!!! Get off the computer and get your friends together!!!

Next thing you know you get a pop-up alert during the game, "Hold on everyone, just need to reply to this!!!" Really, I hate it when I have friends over and they spend their time texting and looking at their phone. WTF is the point of coming over to hang out if you are just going to be on your phone?!?!

We have tins of board games that take up too much space! I had an idea to make a giant "tablet" type thing that would house all the favorite board games in ekectronic version. This version would be something the whole family could gather around to play the games.....each person could use their iPod touch or whatever as their tile rack, monopoly money organizer or to see their hand in cards. Cost of course would be something to consider, but we love to travel with our games too, so this would make it much easier!

Nooooooo! Where is the love? Why does newer have to mean better (have not read any of the other comments, so may be repeating others' sentiments here)?

Seriously!!!! - as if all of us didn;t spend enough time glued to electronics!! I mean really if you need that space - there are million space saving tips out there and/or just get rid of the game!

And in another ten years buy them back from antiques dealers to frame and hang on the wall!!!

You guys do realize that board games are already collectibles, and that today's games will become so in time -- and keeping the boxes intact vastly increases the value... meaning storing the parts in jars and stacking the boards only goes so far.

@SHERRYBINNH : false, leave your computer, see the sun and go to ANY toy store or supermaket. everywhere.

Turning old board games into wall hangings is a lot of fun. I did it with Monopoly (well, the campus themed Auburnopoly) and it turned out great. The hard part was getting the stack of Chance and Community Chest cards to stick in a pile.

One advantage the tablet version of board games has is unlimited pieces. For some games this isn't allowed since the set number of pieces is part of the design but for others where it was merely a manufacturing issue, you can get more out of the tablet version.

Nope.

My kids and I all have DSis, and we can network them together to play Sorry. We've done this once. They will regularly ask to play the physical board game. There are limits.

I agree with the poster upthread who wanted to know what happens when you're camping or in a power outage. If all your books and games are electronic versions only, you're kind of stuck when the batteries run out.

I'm not anti-technology, by any means--I have nook, Kindle, and Kobo apps on my tablet and phone, use a DSi, laptop, digital camera, etc. I just think that it's possible to go too far, and suggesting *replacing* board games with the physical version is just not a good plan.