Board Games

Board Games

In the fifth week of game studies we learned about the origins of games, board games.
Board games date back to the prehistoric times when Neanderthals were learning the functions of the world.
We don't know what the first board game was but we do know that dice and figures were made to play the game from curved pieces of stone.

Senet (3100BC)

Senet (meaning game of passing) is a board game that was played in ancient Egypt by royalty and people of wealth. it is believed that this game is a race game and gets players to race against each other. This board game is one of the oldest board game that we know of and that people know how to play today. 

Royal Game of UR (2600BC)

The Royal Game of UR is a board game that dates to 2600BC once again being an Egyptian board game, it uses three dice and two sets of counters one being black and the other being white. 

Many of the rules for the royal game of Ur are not known however it has been universally agreed that the board game is a race game. 

Mahjong (500BC)

Mahjong originated from china, played with 2-4 players, mahjong is a game of skill, calculation and strategy. The game is played with 144 tiled which are all based on chinese characters and symbols. Each player starts with 13 tiles taking tiles, exchanging and discarding them until they complete a legal hand, group or a head. Mahjong is similar to the western card game 'Rummy'.

These are just some of the many different board games that started the evolution of games we know today. Board games today allows families and people with common interests come together and be entertained. as the years have gone on from senet and mahjong board games have become more accessible, easier to play and more importantly they cater for alot more people.

So, Why are we currently in a golden age? 

We are currently in a golden age of board games for many different reasons. 

One of the main reasons board games are getting more and more popular is the internet, people can use the internet to promote their games, use kickstarter to sell the games and even offer a try before you buy to customers.