HISTORY OF BOARD GAMES

It is said that board games have been around us more than 4000 years. History says that some of the early board games were thought to have religious purpose. Games played on boards have existed since the very early days of human civilization and were played not only for enjoyment but also for intellectual development. Drawings of games establish that their artists knew that games were played by their contemopraries, but nothing more, and medieval and even modern pictures of games of which we have complete knowlege warn us that it is unsafe to rely on accuracy and detail. The information given by drawings is also limited by the artistic developement of their time. The difficulty of game is no criterion of the developement of the race playing it: some of the simpliest games are played by the more, and some of the most complicated games by less civilized races.

Many old board games have been found in tombs. Rich parents often burried their children with their favourite toys.

At a time when paper, wooden board or ink was not even invented, the earliest board games were played on a slab of stone, or on the ground itself.

“Senet” is recognized as probably the most ancient board game in the world. It belongs to the pre-dynastic Egyptian civilization, dating approximately 3500 B.C., that is, about 5500 years ago. The actual rules of the game are a topic of some debate, although historians have made educated guesses.

The oldest complete board game found to date is the Royal Game of Ur, discovered in the royal tombs at Ur in Mesopotamia (Ancient Sumeria). The game is believed to have existed around 2500BC. The rules of the game are not known entirely, but it appears to be a race game.

Patolli is another board game that was played during the reign of the Mayan civilization. It was discovered in the Iranian excavations dating nearly 5000 years ago. Players bet blankets, precious stones, gold adornments, food or just about anything. In extreme cases, they would bet their homes and sometimes their family and freedom. The object of the game is for a player to win all of the opponent’s treasure.

Game of Go was invented more than 3000 years ago in China, though some think it was nearer 4000 years. Its history in western countries is already over 100 years in some cases. Others are just starting to discover the game. In the beginning, the game had a close connection with the laws of nature, politics and economics, strategy and intelligence, and it was also a theocratic tool for the ancient emperors to rule society. The Game of Go is considered by many experts as the most perfect of board games.

Snakes and Ladders originally comes from India. The game was created by the 13th century poet saint Gyndaev. This game became a popular game all over the world. This game also involved the rolling of a dice to gain points, and there is a luck and chance factor involved too. Later through time, the game underwent several modifications but the meaning is the same i.e good deeds take us to heaven and evil to a cycle of re-births.

In the early 20th century, Monopoly rose in popularity as a board game and went through various transformations, before settling in its current form in 1930s. It is perhaps the most popular board game in modern history. Traditionally, Monopoly is played with artificial cash paper notes. But in recent years, an electronic version of the game has also been introduced called “Electronic Monopoly”. This version uses artificial Credit Cards instead of paper currency. Children all over the world have taken great fancy to the electronic version as well.

Reference:

Online:

http://quazen.com/games/board-games/five-of-the-worlds-oldest-games/

http://www.the-american-interest.com/article.cfm?piece=263

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Board_game

Books:

“A HISTORY OF BOARD GAMES other than chess” by H.J.R. Murray 1952