8 Ball Pool, which is also spelled as eight ball pool and eightball, and known sometimes as ‘solids and stripes’, ‘spots and stripes’ and even in some cultures as ‘highs and lows’, is a hugely popular pool billiards game. The game is played on a billiard table that has six pockets, and requires cue sticks, sixteen billiard balls consisting of a cue ball and fifteen object balls. The object balls consist of seven solid coloured balls, numbered from 1 to 7, seven striped balls, numbered from 9 to 15 and the ever recognisable black coloured 8 ball.
The game begins with scattering all the balls with what is known as a ‘break shot’, following which a player gets assigned either the set of solid coloured balls or the set of striped balls after having, through a legal shot, pocketed a ball from that set.
The objective of the game in 8 Ball Pool is to legally pocket the black 8 ball in a “called” pocket, and this can only be done after all the balls in a player’s given set have been hit into the pockets.
A Brief History Of 8 Ball Pool
8 Ball Pool is the most commonly played version of pool, and even though it is regarded as synonymous with ‘pool’, the game has numerous variations in different regions. The game is said to have developed around the early 1900s in the United States, from an older version of the game called pyramid pool, in which players needed to pocket any eight of the total fifteen object balls in order to win the game. 8 Ball Pool arose out of two specific changes that were made to the game of pyramid pool, namely that the black 8 ball must be pocketed only after all other balls of a set have been pocketed to win, and that each player may pocket only half of the other object balls.
A Popular Game For All Ages
In today’s world, one can play pool in a variety of places. The game is played in restaurants, clubs, hotels, sporting venues which are often seen to have pool tables, but most notably specialised places such as pool parlours and pool rooms exist specifically for people to play pool. A game that is popular among the youth as well as more senior people in society, pool is immensely well liked because of its simple rules and easy gameplay.
The development of technology over the last few years has made it possible for people to play 8 Ball Pool online as well. Nowadays there are numerous gaming apps on which it is possible to play pool either with the software or competitively with other people. This has only served to make the already popular game gain an even greater player base.
In more recent times, the coronavirus pandemic, which started in 2020, had resulted in lockdowns and curfews being imposed. As a result of these lockdowns and curfews, a very large number of people were forced to remain indoors for months on end. Time hung heavy, and online gaming helped to fill that gap. 8 Ball Pool is one of the games that have seen a tremendous jump in popularity since the pandemic began, and even as the world slowly begins to return to a more normal life, the appeal of the game has remained undiminished.
India – An Internet Driven Society
India is a country with the largest number of cellphones. In recent years, there has been enormous growth in high speed internet services across the country. The widespread availability of and easy access to 4G as well as wi-fi has made tech savvy Indians take greatly to gaming. Needless to say, a large chunk of the total number of players of online 8 Ball Pool are Indian. What explains this popularity?
For starters, India is a country where games and sports have always played an important role in social and cultural life over the ages. The advent of technology and the internet only served to provide more options with regard to games as well as methods of playing.
Secondly, socialising is an important aspect of Indian culture, and playing games with one’s friends and relatives is an integral part of contemporary Indian lifestyle where recreational activities with loved ones is commonplace. 8 Ball Pool is a game that can be played just about anywhere. All one needs is a smartphone or tablet and a stable internet connection. Challenging friends and family members to a game of pool is not only thrilling and fun, but also stimulating for the brain as pool is a game that involves a great deal of skill and precision with regard to hitting the balls.
What Makes Online 8 Ball Pool So Popular?
It is not always possible to have access to a pool table in real life, but technology has made it possible for people to play 8 Ball Pool and stay in touch with their friends and family members through the online version of the game. Here are some reasons that online 8 Ball Pool is so popular in India:
- Realism and detail
Playing 8 Ball Pool online will feel almost like playing the game in real life because of the realistic physics of the game, as well as the visuals and sound effects that are designed to perfectly replicate the real deal. This helps to make the game feel more authentic and appealing to players.
- One-on-one games
Gaming platforms that offer 8 Ball Pool also have the option to let players play the game one-on-one with a friend or family member, and even with random players from all parts of the world. This makes the game feel more exciting and real, and also helps players compete on the basis of their own skills.
- Ease of play and smooth user interface
Just as pool is a fairly easy game to play in real life, the online version of the game is just as easy to play. Gaming platforms that offer 8 Ball Pool go to great lengths to ensure smooth functioning of the game and a user interface that is easy to use. Even the rules are made available in the game apps, making it easy for players to pick up the game and win. The game controls are also designed so that people can grasp them without any difficulty.
- Attractive prizes and rewards
Online 8 Ball Pool apps also offer highly enticing rewards and prizes, which make it attractive for players to sign up and start playing. Moreover, the incentive of winning a prize or reward is often what drives people to keep playing, resulting in a higher engagement rate.
All things considered, 8 Ball Pool is a game that is well liked by millions of people not just in India, but around the world. In view of the current trajectory, its popularity will only grow in India in the years to come.