An Analysis of Ludo Board Game Play on Smartphones

From sports to party games, almost every kind of game has been adapted into a digital video game format. While previous research has studied player motivations and experiences for certain categories of digital games, there has yet to be such a study on digital board games, especially in the modern context of smartphone apps. To address this, we conduct a case study of a popular board game, Ludo, to understand players’ opinions of its digital adaptation. For this, we study the functionality and user reviews of nine popular Ludo apps, to assess player opinions of how traditional gameplay has been re-imagined. Based upon our analysis, we conclude with recommendations for improving Ludo apps and other apps, based on random chance board games.

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