A Board Games History
by The Beast!
(Boardgame Beast HQ)
A board games history
Part three of the series
Click here to see part one of the Board Games History series
Click here to see part two of the History of Board Games series
Board games explode into popular culture
The next two decades would be filled with an abundance of new board game releases, such as Scrabble, Operation, Clue (which is one of the few board games to be made into a movie!), Risk, The Game of Life and many board game editions that coincided with the television and movie craze of that era.
The invention of television heavily contributed to the popularity that board games saw in America due to the ability of television to reach the masses.
Games based on such mass-culture icons as Hopalong Cassidy and Captain Kangeroo may not have added much to the quality of gaming, but are an important part of its history.
German board games
In the 1980s, German-style board games began to develop as a genre. These games tend to have simple, yet flexible rules and completely avoid the component of luck. German-style board games are not quite as abstract as Chess, but they involve more strategy than party games such as Trivial Pursuit.
One characteristic that separates them from American-style games is the fact that there is rarely any player elimination and the games lean more toward economic strategy than military strategy, such as in the game of Risk.
The Settlers of Catan is the most successful German-style board game of all time; its success has laid the groundwork for many games of the genre in the years to come.
Other popular games of the genre include Puerto Rico, Ticket to Ride and Alhambra. Germany is currently the largest producer of board games per capita in the world, and while Germany produces many German-style board games, game manufacturers across the globe release German-style board games as well.
In 1978, a genre-specific award called the Spiel des Jahres, meaning “Game of the Year”, was created to honor the greatest game designs of the year and to inspire excellence throughout the German-style board game industry. Winning the award has been known to increase the sales of a game from 500-3000 copies to over 300,000 due to the prestige that comes with the award.
Computer board gaming
During the computer age, many board games now have computer board games equivalents. Games such as Chess, Monopoly, and Risk can be played against computerized opponents or against opponents on the other side of the world.
Despite advances in graphics and computing technology, board games continue to maintain the same appeal that they had back in 3500 BC, when the thrill of chance made the Egyptians believe that the gods themselves were involved in the game.
Board games continue to provide a source of skill development as they engage players’ abilities to plan ahead, anticipate counter-attacks and maintain patience. While the purpose of board games may have changed and evolved throughout the centuries and Millennia, their allure never will.
Whether it is the unpredictability of a dice roll that keeps you on the edge of your seat, a calculated and well thought out strike against an opponent whose goal is to stop you, or the ability to simply enjoy a game with a friend or family, there are some needs that only a board game can satisfy.
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Earlier articles on a board games history:
Part one
Part two
References
WikiPedia on Risk
IMDB.com Clue the Movie
WikiPedia on the Game of Life