Chess, the Game of Kings: Are Its Days Numbered?
To some the game of chess has died with the advent of computers, but I believe that chess set is not dead. Machines will never replace humans, because we care more about what fellow humans do than what machines can do.
In the early 1980s there was a prediction that the invention of VCRs and video rental stores would put movie theaters out of business within ten years. And yet, cinemas continue to be built, and continue to draw people inside. Families, dating couples and even friends all go to the movie theater to see the latest blockbuster.
Why? Because there is a joy one gets from watching movies in a large theater with other people that can’t be reproduced at home with a DVD player – even bluray.
Every home has a television, if not more than one, and yet people still flock to see plays, ballets and concerts. In many cities people can go the theater and see a different play each week of the year.
And Sacramento is not exactly the mecca of the theater world. Why do audiences still attend live theater instead of being content with television and movies on DVD? They attend theater because they want to see living people on stage. There is an excitement to being part of an audience watching live actors one can’t get from a tube.
No runner, no matter how fast, can beat a car, and yet we still cheer the athletes of track and field. Machines can pitch a ball with more speed and accuracy than the most skillful ball player, and certainly machines could be made to bat farther than any baseball player.
But no one’s going to pay money to watch their favorite machines play ball. No pitching machine is going to be anyone’s hero. Humans admire the skills and achievements of fellow humans. We marvel and even take joy in those who show us what we as humans are capable of at our best.
This is why animation and CGI will never replace the actor. We might admire the skills of an animator like Chuck Jones, but Bugs Bunny will never earn the admiration we give to Robert DeNero and Meryl Streep.
Computer chess games have been around since the early 80s, and they have proved to be valuable training tools, but still we go to tournaments because we love the company of other chess players and we want to pit our skills against a fellow human.
You can buy chess sets based on the Lord of the Rings or Star Wars. Chess sets can even be bought for children looking like Sponge Bob or the Simpsons. This proves that the game of kings is still as popular today as it was in years past.
Want to find out more about chess sets, then visit Fredrick Roughinsteen’s site on how to choose the best chess set for your needs.