Throughout the evolution and civilization of man, games have played an essential role in the basic principle of human interaction and are an integral part of building a society. Playing games is generally for recreational purposes that strengthen familial, cultural and social bonding, like best paying online pokies in Australia 2023. In some cases, they are created for educational purposes that highlight man’s competitive and strategic nature. In ancient civilizations, some cultures played games for spiritual purposes. For example, games like the mansion of happiness were used for spiritual purposes.
What Are Board Games?
Board games are tabletop games that involve moving pieces or objects across a marked board. The game is typically designed to be played by two or more players and requires adequate skill and knowledge. They vary from one another. It is purely a game of skill, but luck and some other factors are sometimes required. That explains why they are grouped into three; luck, strategy and diplomacy.
Often than not, it takes time to master these games. How long it will take varies from game to game. Most have simple rules but require great strategic depth to master. Examples of such games are Chess and Go.
Is There Anything More?
Just like music and art, playing games is a fundamental part of human history. According to Dutch historian Johan Huizinga, “The playing of games is older than culture, for culture however inadequately defined, always presupposes human society, and animals have not waited for man to teach them their playing.”
Although the advent of technology and the evolution of civilization to contemporary times have changed the course of games played in human history, some games still survived human evolution. These spread with the movement of culture by men from one place to the other. For example, the game of Wei Qi through traders moved from China across the Asian continent. Exposure to worldwide audiences resulted in improvements in game designs and development to produce modern and improved versions.
Origin of Board Games
Like other ancient games, the history of board games is often fascinating and interwoven with man’s history, culture and evolution. Some are said to exist even before the discovery of language. Though no one can say for certain when the first board game was played, different archeological discoveries have unearthed a few carved in stones.
One such is a mysterious ancient Egyptian board game unearthed and believed to be played about 3500 years ago. The discovered board game in Egypt is called Senet, where the board is divided into squares of tens with counters. Each player moves around their pieces (sticks) to reach the board’s edge first. Although several traditional games came from ancient Egypt, Senet was perhaps the most popular. Unlike others, it had a spiritual connection to Egyptian history as the Egyptians believed that Gods Ra, Thoth and Osiris offer protection to those who win the game.
Newer Origins
The earliest history can also be traced to timelines across varying cultures, besides ancient Egypt. Archaeological excavations also led to the discovery of a 5000-year-old burial mould in southeast Turkey. It contained a series of 49 painted tiny carved stones in different shapes of animals, shells and carved dice. These discovered pieces are referred to as the oldest board game in history.
Over time, similar archaeological findings have also been found in regions around the Nile. These discoveries propagated the belief that the oldest form of game played on a board originated in the Middle East before the game spread to other civilizations.
Earliest Board Games
Board games over time have evolved, especially with the rapidly advanced state of technology. Many of them have been revamped over time to become the classic they have become. Here are some of the most popular in history.
- Senet (Ancient Egypt)
- Backgammon (Ancient Persia)
- Royal Game of Ur (Ancient Mesopotamia)
- Game of Mehen (Ancient Egypt)
- Hounds and Jackals (Ancient Egypt)
- Ludus latrunculorum (Roman Empire)
- Liubo (China)
- Mancala (East Africa)
- Chaturanga (India)
- Tafl (Northern Europe)
From Ancient to Modern Board Games in Australia
Board games in Australia can be traced back to the arrival of the first Australian naval fleet and European explorers. These travellers, in one way or another, brought with them the knowledge of the games across varying cultures. And over time, these games became a part of Australian culture.
Despite having no claim to any earliest records, a huge part of the population is board gamers. The country has grown into a major player in the global board game market. Some of the boards that are attached to the historical and social identity of Australia include but are not limited to the following:
- Australian bushmen game (1901)
- Sixieme jeu de cartes geographique (1810)
- Adventures of a mailman (1890s)
- Mappe-monde ou carte generale de toutte la terre (1753)
- Race to the gold diggings of Australia (1855)
Contemporary Australian Games
Some of the games have become highly popular. Monopoly and Squatter for example became widely played in the 1980s. Various forms of these games can leisurely be played amongst family and friends. Some can be played for more competitive advantage at multiple casinos. Each player competes for varying reasons, some for entertainment while others for the chance to win real money.
Thanks to technology, contemporary versions and other types of games continually rise in popularity in Australia. Many board game designers now develop them to reflect the modernized culture of contemporary times while still maintaining the essential elements and old rules, albeit not all. They are now more complex with more mechanical and highlighted technical designs that still offer the fascinating and delightful element of ancient board games.
Popular Contemporary Board Games
Popularity of board games hasn’t diminished with time. Nowadays the most popular are considered:
Monopoly
Monopoly is a property board game developed by Elizabeth Magie in the early 1900s. The game coined then as the “landlord’s game” was created by Elizabeth to point out the social consequences of uneven distribution of wealth in society. But it gained commercial appeal in 1933 when game designer Charles Darrow designed the first commercial monopoly game. It was a success and by 1935, the Parkers Brothers had already bought the rights to the game.
How It’s Played
Monopoly, unlike other games played on board, relies purely on luck. The game is designed for 2-8 players. It involves players taking turns to roll dice to buy properties, build houses, charge rent and pay rent to other players. The goal of the game is to ensure the bankruptcy of other players in the game. Before the game starts, a banker is nominated to be in charge of the money and properties of the bank.
Scrabble
Scrabble is a word tile game developed by Alfred Musher Butts during the Great Depression. Alfred had developed the game on an earlier variation he had invented. The invented scrabble game didn’t gain traction until Alfred met James Brunot and they both reinvented the game, starting with a name change. The crossword puzzle-styled game requires two to four players, a scrabble board and a combination of linguistics and spelling skills.
How It’s Played
Before starting a round, it is essential to have a dictionary of your choice by the side to have the verification of some words. The tiled letters are mixed up in the bag as each player draws out a letter and the player that draws out the letter closest to A starts the game. Then the bag is passed around as each player is allowed to choose ten tiles without other players knowing the picked tiles. The goal is to build up words, earn points and outscore other players in the game.
Battleship
Battleship is perhaps one of the most strategic role-playing games played on board. The naval combat-themed game dates as far back as the first World War. The game had started as a pen-and-paper strategic game between two players and was later commercialized as a board game by Milton Bradley in 1967. The game has players in search of enemy fleets of ships and then eventually sink the opposition fleets. The game calls for smartness and calculating skills. Battleship is one of the earlier games originally played on a board to be produced as a video game. The game also has inspired a movie of the same title, Battleship.
How It’s Played
Each player is given a battleship box that contains four grids and five ships for each player and also with two grids for each player. Each player arranges their ships on their grid, concealing their location from the other players. Then players take turns in each round to take shots at each other’s boats until all the squares of a ship have been hit. Then once all the boats of a player have been sunk, the opposition wins.
Chess
Chess has been around for nearly 1500 years and is still highly popular and deserves a place on the list. It is a game played by two people on a contrasting coloured checkered board of 64 squares. Each player starts the game with the same 16 pieces consisting of pawns, bishops, knights, rooks, a queen and a king.
How It’s Played
Each player aims to corner the opponent’s principal piece, the King. The player that forces his opponent king into a position where it can’t escape capture (checkmate) wins. Players take turns to play and certain pieces can only move in a particular way. To start playing, a newbie must first learn how each piece moves before proceeding to learn strategies.
Draughts
Depending on your part of the world, draughts are called by different names. Americans call it checkers. Regardless of the name, draughts is a must-have and must-learn game played on a board similar to Chess. The popular board variants are 8×8, 10×10 and 12×12. All boards are simply two differentiating coloured spaces. Due to its simplicity, you can create your own board by drawing alternate coloured spaces on cardboard or even a piece of paper.
How It’s Played
Playing draughts is pretty straightforward. New players can learn and start immediately. All it involves is moving the pieces diagonally and jumping over the opponent pieces to capture them. A piece can move forward or backward, as long as there is space.
Other Modern Board Games
Many other old games end up becoming classics as interest continues to build around the world. Some others that are still widely played are:
- Anti Monopoly
- Ludo
- Risk
- Game of life
- Trivial Pursuit
Conclusion
Just like card games, playing board games is with the aim of making real money. Where else to enjoy the best of these games than online? They are now played as computer games. The improvement in game designs, whether slot machine games or even modernized board games, continually entice Australians. Thankfully, there is no shortage of online casinos that offer a wide variety of games to Australian players. It is uncommon to find one with a board game community to discuss both old and new games.
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