Board Game

A board game is a type of tabletop gameAlt URL
/ref> that involves small objects () that are placed and moved in particular ways on a specially designed patterned game board, potentially including other components, e.g. dice. The earliest known uses of the term "board game" are between the 1840s and 1850s.

While game boards are a necessary and sufficient condition of this genre, card games that do not use a standard deck of cards, as well as games that use neither cards nor a game board, are often colloquially included, with some referring to this genre generally as "table and board games" or simply "tabletop games".Alt URL
/ref>

Eras

Ancient era

Board games have been played, traveled, and evolved in most cultures and societies throughout history Board games have been discovered in a number of archaeological sites. The oldest discovered gaming pieces were discovered in southwest Turkey, a set of elaborate sculptured stones in sets of four designed for a chess-like game, which were created during the Bronze Age around 5,000 years ago. Numerous archaeological finds of game boards exist that date from as early as the Neolithic period including, as of 2024, a total of 14 Neolithic sites reporting 51 game boards, ranging from mid- 7th millennium to early 8th millennium.

Oldest game

The Royal Game of Ur, estimated to have originated from around 4,600 years ago in ancient Mesopotamia, an example of which was found in the royal tombs of ancient Mesopotamia ( – ),Alt URL
/ref>Alt URL
/ref> is considered the oldest playable boardgame in the world, with well-defined game's rules discovered written on a cuneiform tablet by a Babylonian astronomer in – .Alt URL
/ref>

Currently, Senet is argued to be the oldest known board game in the world, with possible game board fragments () and undisputed pictorial representations ( – ) having been found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials dating as far back as 3500 BC. However, while Senet was played for thousands of years, it fell out of fashion sometime after 400 A.D. during the Roman period; the rules were never written down, therefore they are not decisively known. Similarly, Mehen is one of the oldest games dated with reasonable confidence, i.e., – , with some estimating it dates back to . The rules, scoring system, and game pieces, however, are unknown or speculative.

The title of the oldest known board game has been difficult to establish. An example of this is mancala, which includes a broad family of board games with a core design of two rows of small circular divots or bowls carved into a surface, which has had numerous estimations of its generic age due to the many variants that have been discovered in different locations across Africa, the Middle East, and southern Asia. These are dated across many different historical periods, from archaeological sites dating the game at – (Roman Settlements); – (Egypt); and even – (Jordan). The later based on divots carved out of limestone in a Neolithic dwelling from ± 240 BC, although this later dating has been disputed. Furthermore, when considering the Neolithic period game boards discoveries, caution has been given against considering these finds as representing earliest human game playing, as the absence of evidence of such games does not equate to evidence that no games were played during earlier periods.Alt URL
/ref>

File:Men Playing Board Games.jpg, '' Men Playing Board Games'', from The Sougandhika Parinaya Manuscript
File:-3000 Abydos Spiel der Schlange Mehen anagoria.JPG, Mehen game with game stones, from Abydos, Egypt, 3000 BC, Neues Museum
File:Maler der Grabkammer der Nefertari 003.jpg, Painting in tomb of Egyptian queen Nefertari (1295–1255 BC) playing senet

Golden era

The 1880s–1920s was a board game epoch known as the "Golden Age", a term coined by American art historian Margaret Hofer where the popularity of board games was boosted through mass production making them cheaper and more readily available. The most popular of the board games sold during this period was ''Monopoly'' (1935), with 500 million games played as of 1999.

Renaissance era

In the late 1990s, companies began producing more new games to serve a growing worldwide market. The early 21st century saw the emergence of a new "Golden Age" for board games called the "Board Game Renaissance". This period of board games industry development, of which board games such as '' Ticket to Ride'' (2004) and were a major part, saw a shift away from the 20th-century domination by well-established standby Golden Era board games like ''Monopoly'' (1935) and '' Game of Life'' (1960).

Regional history

Europe

Board games have a long tradition in Europe. The oldest records of board gaming in Europe date back to Homer's ''Iliad'' (written in the 8th century BC), in which he mentions the Ancient Greek game of '' petteia''. This game of ''petteia'' would later evolve into the Roman game of '' ludus latrunculorum''.

File:Attic Black-Figure Neck Amphora - Achilles and Ajax playing a board game overseen by Athena.jpg, Achilles and Ajax playing a board game overseen by Athena, Attic black-figure neck amphora,
File:German - Box for Board Games - Walters 7193 - Bottom.jpg, ''Box for Board Games'', 15th century, Walters Art Museum
File:Clevelandart 1953.284.jpg, An early games table desk (Germany, 1735) featuring chess/draughts () and nine men's morris ()

Americas

The board game patolli originated in Mesoamerica and was played by a wide range of pre-Columbian cultures such as the Toltecs and the Aztecs.

File:Macuilxochitl Patolli.png, Patolli game being watched by Macuilxochitl as depicted on page 048 of the Codex Magliabechiano
File:FirstAmericanPrintrunOfThe MansionOfHappiness.jpg, ''The Mansion of Happiness'' (1843)

Asia

File:Han Pottery Figures Playing Liubo, a Lost Game (10352729936).jpg, Han dynasty glazed pottery tomb figurines playing liubo, with six sticks laid out to the side of the game board
File:British Museum Royal Game of Ur.jpg, The Royal Game of Ur, southern Iraq, about –

Africa

In Africa and the Middle East, mancala is a popular board game archetype with many regional variations.

File:Game of Hounds and Jackals MET DP264105.jpg, Hounds and jackals ( Egypt, 13th Dynasty)
File:Tropenmuseum Royal Tropical Institute Objectnumber 699-2 Speelbord voor mancala spel.jpg, Mancala board and clay playing pieces
File:Gaming Board Inscribed for Amenhotep III with Separate Sliding Drawer, ca. 1390-1353 B.C.E.,49.56a-b.jpg, Senet set inscribed with the Horus name of Amenhotep III ( 1391–1353 BC)

Luck, strategy, and diplomacy

Some games, such as chess, depend completely on player skill, while many children's games such as '' Candy Land'' (1949) and snakes and ladders require no decisions by the players and are decided purely by luck.

Many games require some level of both skill and luck. A player may be hampered by bad luck in backgammon, ''Monopoly'', or ''Risk''; but over many games, a skilled player will win more often. The elements of luck can also make for more excitement at times, and allow for more diverse and multifaceted strategies, as concepts such as expected value and risk management must be considered.

Luck may be introduced into a game by several methods. The use of dice of various sorts goes back to one of the earliest board games, the Royal Game of Ur. These can decide everything from how many steps a player moves their token, as in ''Monopoly'', to how their forces fare in battle, as in ''Risk'', or which resources a player gains, as in '' Catan'' (1995). Other games such as '' Sorry!'' (1934) use a deck of special cards that, when shuffled, create randomness. ''Scrabble'' (1948) creates a similar effect using randomly picked letters. Other games use spinners, timers of random length, or other sources of randomness. German-style board games are notable for often having fewer elements of luck than many North American board games. Luck may be reduced in favor of skill by introducing symmetry between players. For example, in a dice game such as '' Ludo'' (), by giving each player the choice of rolling the dice or using the previous player's roll.

Another important aspect of some games is diplomacy, that is, players, making deals with one another. Negotiation generally features only in games with three or more players, cooperative games being the exception. An important facet of ''Catan'', for example, is convincing players to trade with you rather than with opponents. In ''Risk'', two or more players may team up against others. ''Easy'' diplomacy involves convincing other players that someone else is winning and should therefore be teamed up against. ''Advanced'' diplomacy (e.g., in the aptly named game ''Diplomacy'' from 1954) consists of making elaborate plans together, with the possibility of betrayal.

In perfect information games, such as chess, each player has complete information on the state of the game, but in other games, such as '' Tigris and Euphrates'' (1997) or '' Stratego'' (1946), some information is hidden from players. This makes finding the best move more difficult and may involve estimating probabilities by the opponents.

Software

Many board games are now available as video games. These are aptly termed digital board games, and their distinguishing characteristic compared to traditional board games is they can now be played online against a computer or other players. Some websites (such as boardgamearena.com, yucata.de, etc.) allow play in real time and immediately show the opponents' moves, while others use email to notify the players after each move. The Internet and cheaper home printing has also influenced board games via print-and-play games that may be purchased and printed. Some games use external media such as audio cassettes or DVDs in accompaniment to the game.

There are also virtual tabletop programs that allow online players to play a variety of existing and new board games through tools needed to manipulate the game board but do not necessarily enforce the game's rules, leaving this up to the players. There are generalized programs such as ''Vassal'', '' Tabletop Simulator'' and '' Tabletopia'' that can be used to play any board or card game, while programs like '' Roll20'' and '' Fantasy Grounds'' are more specialized for role-playing games. Some of these virtual tabletops have worked with the license holders to allow for use of their game's assets within the program; for example, ''Fantasy Grounds'' has licenses for both ''Dungeons & Dragons'' and '' Pathfinder'' materials, while ''Tabletop Simulator'' allows game publishers to provide paid downloadable content for their games. However, as these games offer the ability to add in the content through user modifications, there are also unlicensed uses of board game assets available through these programs.

Market

While the board gaming market is estimated to be smaller than that for video games, it has also experienced significant growth from the late 1990s. A 2012 article in ''The Guardian'' described board games as "making a comeback". Other expert sources suggest that board games never went away, and that board games have remained a popular leisure activity which has only grown over time. Another from 2014 gave an estimate that put the growth of the board game market at "between 25% and 40% annually" since 2010, and described the current time as the "golden era for board games". The rise in board game popularity has been attributed to quality improvement (more elegant mechanics, , artwork, and graphics) as well as increased availability thanks to sales through the Internet. Crowd-sourcing for board games is a large facet of the market, with $233 million raised on Kickstarter in 2020.

A 1991 estimate for the global board game market was over $1.2 billion. A 2001 estimate for the United States "board games and puzzle" market gave a value of under $400 million, and for United Kingdom, of about £50 million. A 2009 estimate for the Korean market was put at 800 million won, and another estimate for the American board game market for the same year was at about $800 million. A 2011 estimate for the Chinese board game market was at over 10 billion yuan. A 2013 estimate put the size of the German toy market at 2.7 billion euros (out of which the board games and puzzle market is worth about 375 million euros), and Polish markets at 2 billion and 280 million zlotys, respectively. In 2009, Germany was considered to be the best market per capita, with the highest number of games sold per individual.

Hobby board games

Some academics, such as Erica Price and Marco Arnaudo, have differentiated "hobby" board games and gamers from other board games and gamers. A 2014 estimate placed the U.S. and Canada market for hobby board games (games produced for a "gamer" market) at only $75 million, with the total size of what it defined as the "hobby game market" ("the market for those games regardless of whether they're sold in the hobby channel or other channels") at over $700 million. A similar 2015 estimate suggested a hobby game market value of almost $900 million.

Research

A dedicated field of research into gaming exists, known as game studies or ludology.

While there has been a fair amount of scientific research on the psychology of older board games (e.g., chess, Go, mancala), less has been done on contemporary board games such as ''Monopoly'', ''Scrabble'', and ''Risk'', and especially modern board games such as '' Catan'', '' Agricola'', and '' Pandemic''. Much research has been carried out on chess, partly because many tournament players are publicly ranked in national and international lists, which makes it possible to compare their levels of expertise. The works of Adriaan de Groot, William Chase, Herbert A. Simon, and Fernand Gobet have established that knowledge, more than the ability to anticipate moves, plays an essential role in chess-playing ability.

Linearly arranged board games have improved children's spatial numerical understanding. This is because the game is similar to a number line in that they promote a linear understanding of numbers rather than the innate logarithmic one.

Research studies show that board games such as ''Snakes and Ladders'' result in children showing significant improvements in aspects of basic number skills such as counting, recognizing numbers, numerical estimation, and number comprehension. They also practice fine motor skills each time they grasp a game piece. Playing board games has also been tied to improving children's executive functions and help reduce risks of dementia for the elderly. Related to this is a growing academic interest in the topic of game accessibility, culminating in the development of guidelines for assessing the accessibility of modern tabletop games and the extent to which they are playable for people with disabilities.

Additionally, board games can be therapeutic. Bruce Halpenny, a games inventor said when interviewed about his game, ''The Great Train Robbery'':

With crime you deal with every basic human emotion and also have enough elements to combine action with melodrama. The player's imagination is fired as they plan to rob the train. Because of the gamble, they take in the early stage of the game there is a build-up of tension, which is immediately released once the train is robbed. Release of tension is therapeutic and useful in our society because most jobs are boring and repetitive.

Playing games has been suggested as a viable addition to the traditional educational curriculum if the content is appropriate and the gameplay informs students on the curriculum content.

Categories

Historical development

Harold Murray's ''A History of Board Games Other Than Chess'' (1952) has been called the first attempt to develop a "scheme for the classification of board games", in which he separated board games into five categories: "race", "war", "hunt", "alignment" / "configuration", and "mancala" games. Robert Bell's ''Board and Table Games from Many Civilizations'' (1869) similarly espoused a classification of board games, this time divided into four categories, "race", "war", "positional", and "mancala" games. In David Parlett's ''The Oxford History of Board Games'' (1999), based on the work of Murray and Bell, he described a "classical" categorization of board games which consisted of four primary categories: " race", "space", " chase", and " displace" games.Alt URL
/ref>

Modern board games have been classified in a variety of ways, a classification that can be based on the board game's mechanics, theme, age range, player number, and promotion. The diversity of board games means that some games belong to several categories.

Mechanics

A board game's mechanics usually involve an assessment of a player or player/s achievements while adhering to a series of pre-established , i.e. , such as capturing opponents' pieces, calculation of a final score, or achieving a predefined goal. Board games have a range of rule complexity but also a range of strategic depth, both of which determine the ease of mastering the game, i.e., hard-to-master games like chess possess a relatively simple rule set but have great strategic depth. Examples of categories based on a modern categorization of a board game's mechanics include:

Theme

Parlett also distinguishes between abstract and thematic games, the latter having a specific genre or frame narrative, for examples regular chess versus Star Wars-themed chess. The board games often have themes that emulate concepts in real-life situations or fictional scenario but can also have no evident theme.

Such games have come under criticism, usually when trending thematic concepts, such as those based on popular television show licenses, have been used to supplement deficiencies in the game mechanics. When discussing this practice, Edwards wrote "A bad game, however, remains a bad game even if it has been themed to a favorite television show." Parlett went so far as to describe these promotional and television spin-off games as being “of an essentially trivial, ephemeral, mind-numbing, and ultimately soul-destroying degree of worthlessness".

The prominent themes found in board games of the Golden Era included: travel, sports, courtship, racism, city life, war, education and capitalist enterprise". Common modern thematic game categories include:

Components

Board games can also be categorized by their components, including:

Age range

The recommended age range of board game’s target player market impacts of the categorization of that board game:

Player number

Board games can be characterised by the number of players they are designed for. Board games can be; solitaire puzzle games, where a player's performance is assessed against a specified target; or multiplayer games such as competitive games, where a comparison is made between two or more players' achievements, or Cooperative board game where players all players win or lose as a team. :

Promotion type

The following categories of board games are not board game types but rather paths board game creators take to promote their game:

Glossary

Although many board games have a jargon all their own, there is terminology that is recognized and widely shared by gamers and the gaming industry.

See also

* Board game awards
* BoardGameGeek – a website for board game enthusiasts
* '' Going Cardboard'' – a documentary movie
* History of games
* Interactive movie – DVD games
* List of board games
* List of game manufacturers
* Mind sport

References

Further reading

*
*
*
*
Alt URL
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*
*

External links

*
*
*

{{Authority control

Board games
History of board games
Egyptian inventions