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| Clue |
On February 15, 2010, Sonnez Les Jeux Video wrote, "As the future brings more letters to the list, those that realize more genres will be needed will be in the best position for success." By adding another screen to the game experience, the Wii-U has added another letter to the list and will bring another genre of game into the fold: the local information-asymmetric game. While information-asymmetric games are the norm online, local information-asymmetric games will strike in a different area on the player map (especially if two tablet screens are able to connect to one Wii-U): social.
As with all unexplored art forms, the first forms of the genre will merely be the entrance of popular ideas from well-established mediums. Card games and board games are the clear winners. Many card games (including collectible card games) require some cards in a player's hand, shielded from other players, and some cards on the playing surface, viewable by all players. Many board games also require pieces in a player's hand, shielded from view, and pieces on a playing surface in plain view. Wii-U tablets, shielded from other players, may be used for manipulation of cards in the hand while a television screen, viewable to all players, may be used for the playing surface. For example, in Texas Hold 'Em, hole cards may be shown on tablet screens, and community cards may be shown on a television screen. A similar arrangement may be used for board games such as Clue, Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride, and the like.
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| Ticket to Ride |
The reason that card games and board games are the clear winners is that the social aspect of the games curbs the potential of the games online. For example, an online Texas Hold 'Em player lacks one integral skill that a well-rounded player does not: the ability to read an opponent. By allowing opponents to play in the same room, that skill can be restored while the processor still performs the undesirable functions of shuffling, dealing, and chip-counting. Similarly, online board games rarely provide an integral part of the physical board game experience: face-to-face communication and socialization. A chat window or rare video stream is usually relegated to the corner of the screen. By bringing players back into the same room, the Wii-U will allow video board games to compete with physical board games in terms of engagement and even exceed physical board games in terms of setup and clean up.
Lesser-known games at the intersection of local information-asymmetry and social are: the Mafia accusation game (sometimes called Assassin, Werewolf, or Village), Charades, Password, and the like.
However, once the clear winners and lesser-known games have taken their turn, imaginative creators will get their say on creating local information-asymmetric forms. And they will have much to say.
