As the subtitle states, It's All a Game covers the long history of board games. Tristan Donovan gives an overview of ancient games and explores the origins of chess, backgammon, Life, Monopoly, Risk, Clue, Scrabble, Mouse Trap, Operation, Trivial Pursuit, Settlers of Catan, and more. Further, he provides a fascinating look at the significance of each of these games, and how culture influences games and vice-versa.
Historical Summary
"Senet," an ancient Egyptian game, was played from at least 3000 BC. Game boards were found in Tutankhamen's burial chamber and depicted in paintings in Nefertari's tomb. The royal game of Ur and Mancala also have ancient origins.
Evolving from an ancient game, chess got its start in India around the fifth century. From there it would change incrementally as it spread through Persia and Arab lands and then into Europe (in 711), with each culture contributing an element recognizable to modern eyes that reflected regional politics and religion in these different eras and regions. The standard chess set wouldn't be established until 1849. "The folk game born in the Gupta Empire had traveled the world and back again for centuries. Along the way it had been molded by religion, war, female monarchs, and neoclassical architecture, and turned into an international sport."
Backgammon, huge in the 1970s, was a possible descendant of the ancient royal game of Ur. A early version was popular in Greece and Rome (Claudius "had a board affixed to his chariot to he could play on the move"), and remains huge in the Middle East- Crusaders brought the game home with them in Medieval times.
Games reflect culture, and their evolution does the same. The Game of Life started in the 1860s "as a highly moral game . . . that encourages children to lead exemplary lives." And it had to do so: "religious New Englanders viewed board games as gateway drugs that could lure children into a life of gambling and sin." But later iterations would put the focus on money, reflecting American values a century later, and further tweaks would reflect the ever-shifting realities of American society.
Monopoly was first envisioned, in the 1880s, as a cautionary game showing the evils of monopolistic landlords of the age. Little did its inventor know that the game ultimately became popular because, rather than admonished, players desired to be the cutthroat king of property. Thankfully, some good would come of it: modified Monopoly boards were given to American POWs in Europe during WWII to aid their escape. The modifications included hidden silk maps and small tools.
War games are not a new concept. The Japanese ran game simulations before Pearl Harbor, using their conclusions to refine the attack plan against the USA. But they were far from the first- Germans started in the 1550s to tinker with the concept, which would be refined over the centuries. By 1824 "Kriegsspiel had become part of Prussian military training," by 1850s it was "a central tool" in so doing, as the world would discover in 1870 during the Franco-Prussian War. A century later (1950s), Risk would burst on the scene and bring war gaming into the home.
Clue (1940s) grew out of a British love for detective stories (which themselves originated out of a public fascination with murder).
Scrabble (1930s) spawned a new concern for what a true word was- as the official Scrabble dictionary testifies.
Mouse Trap and Operation (1960s) brought games into the plastic age.
Twister (1960s) and Monogamy (2001) revealed societal attitudes towards sex and gaming.
Trivial Pursuit (mid 80s) helped make games for adults more acceptable and mainstream.
Germany became a board game powerhouse in the last 70 years. After World War II, as West Germany rebuilt, "board games became associated with togetherness and wholeness." It was (and is) a preferable alternative to television and similar pursuits. In the mid 90s, a new wave in German games changed the landscape. In these games,
- the outcome is governed by player decisions rather than fate; it's about decision making and planning relative to others
- streamlined rules became more common, making games more accessible
- social activity was key, so all were involved to the end (no early player elimination)
- there are often concealed victory conditions (vague frontrunner) to keep all interested/involved
The Settlers of Catan illustrate these concepts well and is indicative of the mid 90s wave in Germany; the trend would follow suit in the US a decade later. Today, games like Catan, Pandemic, and Ticket to Ride are common sites around the world.
Board games are exploding. In 2014, game sales were up 20% (reaching $880M) in the US alone. From 2009-15, Kickstarter saw $196M towards development of new games. And now, "legacy" games (making permanent changes to the board through multiple plays) are the latest concept to gain traction.
Why Games Matter
Games help people. People use chess and other games to explore brain activity. We use them to encourage ourselves to open up about our feelings (like in Ungame). Psychologist Jon Freeman created programs "to activate and develop particular parts of the brain through games that emphasize strategy of chance. The approach is based on the concept of neuronal plasticity, the idea that the neuron connections in our brains are constantly rewiring themselves in response to stimuli. . ." He and other people are using games to teach math, develop social skills, help those with special needs, and diagnose medical conditions.
Games help machines; they "powered the development" of artificial intelligence (remember "Deep Blue," the chess computer?).
Games teach. They can refine views on topics through interactive and experiential learning- and grant empathy/understanding by encouraging players to step into another's shoes. Pandemic "is a prime example of how board games can make the complexities of the world around us easier to comprehend." Games like Twilight Struggle can re-create reality and make "geopolitics easier to understand."
Games reflect culture. In America, "dog-eat-dog competition" is common. In Europe, it's more about player cooperation, or at least indirect competition (where players focus on managing their own resources as much as possible rather than wiping out others). In each case, they point to cultural values.
Games bring us together. They're a counter-trend to digital. People want to connect; games help them make the time, bring us together face-to-face, and "reflect our needs and desires and our outlook on life."
Review
This is a good read. I enjoyed the interesting anecdotes Donovan includes, and the breadth of material is nice. The stories can get repetitive- many games took years to take off, so you hear familiar (and decreasingly interesting) stories of determination to overcome initial setbacks- but it's valuable nonetheless. Initially, I had hoped for a more cohesive history, with scholarly analysis showing linkages between games proving some sort of tidy evolution, but in hindsight, I don't think such a thing is feasible. Board games arose at different times and cultures, and the author's "one game at a time" approach is probably the best way to present things. Most of all, I appreciated his discussion of the way culture influences games, how games help us as a society, and why people are increasingly drawn to them. If anything, reading this deepened and increased my appreciation of this wonderful hobby.
Rating: A
No comments:
Post a Comment