Board, Card Game

A board game is a game played with counters or pieces that are placed on, removed from, or moved across a "board" (a premarked surface, usually specific to that game). Simple board games often make ideal "family entertainment" since they are often appropriate for all ages. more...

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Some board games, such as chess, go/weiqi, xiangqi, shogi, or oware, have intense strategic value and have been classics for centuries.

There are many different types of board games. Many games simulate aspects of real life. Popular games of this type include:

Monopoly, which simulates the real estate market; Cluedo/Clue, which simulates a murder mystery; Risk, which simulates warfare;

Other games only loosely, or do not at all, attempt to imitate reality. These include:

abstract strategy games like chess, checkers or go; word games, like Scrabble; trivia games, like Trivial Pursuit.;

A new genre of board games, DVD games, was introduced into the marketplace in 2002 with the launch of the first edition of Scene It? (now distributed in the mass market channel by Mattel), and have spawned their own game category.

History

Board games have been played in most cultures and societies throughout history; some even pre-date literacy skill development in the earliest civilizations. A number of important historical sites, artifacts and documents exist which shed light on early board games. Some of these include:

Senet has been found in Predynastic and First Dynasty burials of Egypt, c. 3500 BC and 3100 BC respectively . Senet is the oldest board game known to have existed, having been pictured in a fresco found in Merknera's tomb (3300-2700 BC) .; Mehen is another ancient board game from Predynastic Egypt.; The Royal Tombs of Ur contained, among others, the Royal Game of Ur. They were excavated by Leonard Woolley, but his books document little on the games found. Most of the games he excavated are now housed in the British Museum in London.; Buddha games list is the earliest known list of games.;

Timeline

c. 5870 BCE -- board game resembling mancala found at Ain Gazal Jordan. (Rollefson); c. 3500 BC - Senet found in Predynastic Egyptian burials; also depicted in the tomb of Merknera.; c. 3000 BC - Mehen, board game from Predynastic Egypt, played with lion-shaped game pieces and marbles.; c. 3000 BC - Ancient backgammon set, found in the Burnt City in Iran; c. 2560 BC - Board of the Royal Game of Ur (found at Ur Tombs); c. 2500 BC - Paintings of senet and han being played made in the tomb of Rashepes; c. 2000 BC - Drawing in a tomb at Benihassan depicting two unknown board games being played (depicted in Falkner). It has been suggested that the second of these is tau.; c. 1500 BC - Liubo carved on slab of blue stone. Also painting of board game of Knossos.; c. 1400 BC - Game boards including alquerque, three men's morris, nine men's morris, and a possible mancala board etched on the roof of the Kurna temple. (Source: Fiske, and Bell); 548 BC The earliest written references to Go/Weiqi come from the Zuo Zhuan, which describes a man who likes the game.; c. 500 BC - The Buddha games list mentions board games played on 8 or 10 rows.; c. 500 BC - The earliest reference to Chaturaji or Pachisi written in the Mahabharata.; c. 200 BC - A Chinese Go/Weiqi board pre-dating 200 BC was found in 1954 in Wangdu County. This board is now in Beijing Historical Museum. .; 116-27 BC - Marcus Terentius Varro's Lingua Latina X (II, par. 20) contains earliest known reference to latrunculi (often confused with ludus duodecim scriptorum, Ovid's game mentioned below).; 79-8 BC - Liu Xiang's (劉向) Shuo yuan, contains earliest known reference to Xiangqi.; 1 BC-8 AD - Ovid's Ars Amatoria contains earliest known reference to ludus duodecim scriptorum and the smaller merels.; 220-265 - Nard enters China under the name t'shu-p'u (Source: Hun Tsun Sii).; c. 400 onwards - Tafl games played in Northern Europe.; c. 600 The earliest references to Chaturanga written in Subandhu's Vasavadatta and Banabhatta's Harsha Charitha; c. 600 - The earliest reference to Chatrang written in Karnamak-i-Artakhshatr-i-Papakan.;

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