Capturing hybridity: a comparative analysis of three hybrid digital boardgames

Abstract

Although boardgames have existed as a cultural phenomenon for well over five thousand years, hybrid digital boardgames (HDBs) – which combine an app or website with material components – are a more recent development. As is seen with Role-Playing Games like Dungeons and Dragons, players of tabletop boardgames are increasingly showing interest in hybrid gameplay tools which combine digital and material components. In this paper, we will use the Hybrid Digital Boardgame model to examine and describe the properties of three popular modern HDBs – The Search for Planet X, St Noire and X-COM: The Board Game.