This past weekend, I participated in my church's annual speaking event, where you can speak for 5 minutes on any topic. I chose gaming; what follows is a rough transcript, with the accompanying slides.
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Man has been playing games since the beginning. Today, we use the term ‘tabletop games’ to encompass board, card, dice, tile, or roleplaying games- anything we play around a table. Generically,
History
Games are among the oldest forms of social interaction.
- 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.
- Herodotus claims that dice games were invented in the ancient kingdom of Lydia as a remedy against famine; the king ordered his subjects to eat one day and play games the next to keep their minds off hunger- a pattern they would follow for 18 years.
- An early version of Backgammon was popular in ancient Greece and Rome (Claudius "had a board affixed to his chariot to he could play on the move").
Games are an integral part of every human culture and mirror a society’s values. Our hearts are revealed in what we play.
- The Game of Life started in the 1860s "as a highly moral game . . . that encourages children to lead exemplary lives." In today’s iteration, the person with the most money wins.
- Monopoly was first envisioned, in the 1880s, as a cautionary game showing the evils of monopolistic landlords of the age. The game ultimately became popular, though, because players desired to be the cutthroat king of property. Thankfully, some good would come of it: modified Monopoly boards, concealing hidden silk maps and small tools, were given to American POWs in Europe during WWII to aid their escape. And speaking of war . . .
We even use games for that.
- The Japanese ran game simulations before Pearl Harbor, using their conclusions to refine the attack plan. But they were far from the first-
- Germans started in the 1550s to tinker with the concept, and by the 1850s "Kriegsspiel” was a central tool in Prussian military training. A century later (1950s), Risk would burst on the scene and bring war gaming into the home. [next]
Modern Times
Germany is the world leader in tabletop games. After World War II, as West Germany rebuilt, "board games became associated with togetherness and wholeness."
In the mid-90s, a new wave in German games changed the landscape. These games emphasized decision making, proper planning, and interaction, keeping all players involved and engaged until the end. The Settlers of Catan is a good example of this, and largely credited with making games more popular and accessible. Today, many games “are sociable, engaging and easy to learn, but also cerebral, intriguing and difficult to master”- and the hobby is exploding in popularity.
In the US, game sales have increased fourfold in ten years, hitting $1.5B in 2017. Over 4000 games have been funded on Kickstarter, with 100 new games coming per month. And board game conventions and cafes are a fun and increasingly popular phenomenon. [next]
Why do we play?
[Word cloud: escape, achieve, interact, compete, explore, connect, learn, practice, pretend, create, help, entertain, teach, empathize, train, think, plan, laugh, teamwork, challenge, imagine, discover, story, friendship, adventure]
There are many reasons we play, but here are two:
- to learn: Games teach on many levels. They help develop basic life skills like math, reading, decision making, and teamwork. On a higher level, they can refine views on the world through interactive and experiential learning- and grant empathy by encouraging players to step into another's shoes. And they reflect culture. In America, for example, "dog-eat-dog"-style games are common. In “Eurogames,” on the other hand, players focus on efficient resource management rather than wiping out others. We play to have the most money, most prestige, or be the last one standing. Think on this.
- to connect: games grant us 'safe' environments, separate from the real world, helping us open up and interact with others in ways we normally avoid. They help lower our defenses and develop relationships. This was driven home to me after a game night years ago, when a dad pulled me aside and said “that was the best interaction I’ve had with my son in years.” Some of my best times with my own kids have been around the gaming table. [next]
Resources
Boardgamegeek is your best reference for tabletop games for reviews, rankings, pictures, and more. Watch it played is a great way to learn new games, and coolstuffinc has great prices and customer service. Need some suggestions? These 10 games are some of the most popular in the modern era.
It is not good for us to be alone- we’re created to be together. Games bring us together, face-to-face in an increasingly digital and isolating age. Through games, we learn and connect in fun and surprisingly meaningful ways. That’s why, in 2018, I’ve played 54 unique games 225 times on 93 different days . . . not that it’s a competition.
-----------------------------------------
Man has been playing games since the beginning. Today, we use the term ‘tabletop games’ to encompass board, card, dice, tile, or roleplaying games- anything we play around a table. Generically,
a game is a competitive activity where participants engage a closed, formal system to overcome a challenge with uncertain outcome.That’s what they are; here’s why they matter. [next]
Games are among the oldest forms of social interaction.
- 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.
- Herodotus claims that dice games were invented in the ancient kingdom of Lydia as a remedy against famine; the king ordered his subjects to eat one day and play games the next to keep their minds off hunger- a pattern they would follow for 18 years.
- An early version of Backgammon was popular in ancient Greece and Rome (Claudius "had a board affixed to his chariot to he could play on the move").
Games are an integral part of every human culture and mirror a society’s values. Our hearts are revealed in what we play.
- The Game of Life started in the 1860s "as a highly moral game . . . that encourages children to lead exemplary lives." In today’s iteration, the person with the most money wins.
- Monopoly was first envisioned, in the 1880s, as a cautionary game showing the evils of monopolistic landlords of the age. The game ultimately became popular, though, because players desired to be the cutthroat king of property. Thankfully, some good would come of it: modified Monopoly boards, concealing hidden silk maps and small tools, were given to American POWs in Europe during WWII to aid their escape. And speaking of war . . .
We even use games for that.
- The Japanese ran game simulations before Pearl Harbor, using their conclusions to refine the attack plan. But they were far from the first-
- Germans started in the 1550s to tinker with the concept, and by the 1850s "Kriegsspiel” was a central tool in Prussian military training. A century later (1950s), Risk would burst on the scene and bring war gaming into the home. [next]
Modern Times
Germany is the world leader in tabletop games. After World War II, as West Germany rebuilt, "board games became associated with togetherness and wholeness."
In the mid-90s, a new wave in German games changed the landscape. These games emphasized decision making, proper planning, and interaction, keeping all players involved and engaged until the end. The Settlers of Catan is a good example of this, and largely credited with making games more popular and accessible. Today, many games “are sociable, engaging and easy to learn, but also cerebral, intriguing and difficult to master”- and the hobby is exploding in popularity.
In the US, game sales have increased fourfold in ten years, hitting $1.5B in 2017. Over 4000 games have been funded on Kickstarter, with 100 new games coming per month. And board game conventions and cafes are a fun and increasingly popular phenomenon. [next]
Why do we play?
[Word cloud: escape, achieve, interact, compete, explore, connect, learn, practice, pretend, create, help, entertain, teach, empathize, train, think, plan, laugh, teamwork, challenge, imagine, discover, story, friendship, adventure]
There are many reasons we play, but here are two:
- to learn: Games teach on many levels. They help develop basic life skills like math, reading, decision making, and teamwork. On a higher level, they can refine views on the world through interactive and experiential learning- and grant empathy by encouraging players to step into another's shoes. And they reflect culture. In America, for example, "dog-eat-dog"-style games are common. In “Eurogames,” on the other hand, players focus on efficient resource management rather than wiping out others. We play to have the most money, most prestige, or be the last one standing. Think on this.
- to connect: games grant us 'safe' environments, separate from the real world, helping us open up and interact with others in ways we normally avoid. They help lower our defenses and develop relationships. This was driven home to me after a game night years ago, when a dad pulled me aside and said “that was the best interaction I’ve had with my son in years.” Some of my best times with my own kids have been around the gaming table. [next]
Resources
Boardgamegeek is your best reference for tabletop games for reviews, rankings, pictures, and more. Watch it played is a great way to learn new games, and coolstuffinc has great prices and customer service. Need some suggestions? These 10 games are some of the most popular in the modern era.
It is not good for us to be alone- we’re created to be together. Games bring us together, face-to-face in an increasingly digital and isolating age. Through games, we learn and connect in fun and surprisingly meaningful ways. That’s why, in 2018, I’ve played 54 unique games 225 times on 93 different days . . . not that it’s a competition.
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