Amazon’s Alexa is now able to beat users at tabletop board games. The Alexa board game feature is Amazon’s newest entry into the gaming industry after having also revealed anew trailer for its MMONew Worldat The Game Awards 2019.
Alexa owners can now playTicket to RideandTicket to Ride Europewith the digital assistant. The board game skills are available for free on the device but a test of the feature byPolygonreveals that players will need to have physical copies of the board game to play. TheAmazonassistant can help new players learn how to playTicket to Ride, though Alexa can also be a strong opponent that helpsTicket to Rideplayers get better.
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Polygonsays that playingTicket to Rideagainst Alexa does change how the game works. Alexa has different odds for drawing cards from the Train Car deck; the game cannot be paused such as if the human player wants to go to the toilet or get a snack, and the assistant may not always understand what players are saying to it.
It’s unclear if Amazon has more plans to add more board game support to Alexa, but there are many places that the company could take it. Alexa skills could be used to teach players new strategies for the board games that they enjoy. Gamers are always looking online fortips on how to play multiplayer games likeApex Legends, so why wouldn’t they get suggestions for board games from an assistant like Alexa? Alexa could also help players set up games likeMonopoly, telling them how much money a player needs, and this could be great for those who’ve lost the manual.
Whatever Amazon is planning with Alexa’s board game support, it’s just one way that the company is trying to get gamers to use the product. BioWare fans found aMass EffectEaster egg on the Amazon Echoand Amazon has also worked with Activision to release aDestiny 2skill and a Ghost speaker. Alexa can be used to play choose your own adventure games such asRuneScape Quests: One Piercing NoteandEarplay. It’s no surprise that Amazon is doing this as people who enjoy using Alexa to play games will probably be more likely to use it to order items, or tell their friends to get one so users can probably expect more gaming skills of some sort to be released.
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