An Overview of the History of Games Daniel Johnson

ENGR 1850 001

Introduction: Purpose This research report provides a short review of the history of recreational gaming, including early board games and some of the most influential games in modern times. Ancient Gaming Mankind has been playing games from the beginning of civilization. Some of the oldest games are dated back to 3000BC, such as The Royal Game of Ur, found in modern day Iraq, and Senet in Egypt. A board game called dogs and jackals was played in ancient Egypt and found in the ancient tombs. These types of games were relatively simple in construction, but sometimes the rules varied so that the games could be simpler or more complex depending on the level of skill of the players.

A reproduction of the ancient Egyptian game Dogs and Jackals

Roman Games The Roman Empire is one of the greatest civilizations ever to have thrived on Earth, and their games influenced some of the games played today. The Romans had an ancient version of chess called Latrunculi meaning mercenaries which featured two types of playing pieces carved out of stone. The Romans also had a version of backgammon called Tabula meaning board of table. This game was one of the most popular gambling games of the empire.

A model of the Roman game Tabula

Medieval Games Some of the games played today got their form during the middle Ages. Chess and Backgammon as we know it began to take shape in medieval times. Shovelboard, and ancestor of shuffleboard and Hazard, and ancestor of Craps were played during the middle Ages. These games ranged from simple gambling dice games to more complex strategy games such as Alquerques, and ancestor of checkers.

A model of the medieval game Alquerques

20th Century Games The 20th century saw the introduction of what are now considered classic board games. Monopoly was invented by the Parker Brothers in 1935. Versions of the popular crossword game Scrabble were created in the 1930s and the official Scrabble game was released in 1948. The game of life, first known as the checkered game of life was invented in 1860, but the modern version was released in 1960. The rest of the 20th century saw the release of Clue, Sorry, Trivial Pursuit, Pictionary, Risk and most of the board games that are played today.

Conclusion Games have evolved over the ages but the basic premise of game and the basic types of games have remained the same throughout history. Dice, card, board race and strategy games have remained the same for thousands of years, but games continue to evolve and continue to be enjoyed by people around the world. Sources Entertainment in the Middle Ages http://www.middle-ages.org.uk/entertainment-middleages.htm A History of Board Games http://www.ccgs.com/games/index.htm History of Games Timeline http://historicgames.com/gamestimeline.html History of Board Games from Early 1900s to the Present http://www.thepeoplehistory.com/boardgames.html Roman Board Games http://ablemedia.com/ctcweb/showcase/boardgames.html