Truly Wireless: A History of Board Games

Before the cathode ray tube (CRT), and by extension, the television, was invented, there were board games. Senet is considered one of the oldest known board games, and is likely the oldest. It was played in in Predynastic Egypt, over 5000 years ago! It's no surprise that board games remain popular today. After all, what's more fun that getting your friends together, cracking open a few drinks, popping some popcorn, and playing a round of Monopoly or Sorry? Or maybe those kinds of games aren't for you. If you're more into strategy, maybe a game of Risk or Axis & Allies. Or how about The Settlers of Catan or Ticket to Ride? And for a classic, maybe try Checkers or Chess.

One of the great things about a board game is the intimate setting it provides. Unlike a video game, where the players are generally seated next to each other facing the screen (or worse, not even in the same room, or country), players of a board game generally seat themselves around a table facing each other. Everyone has to converse, and persuasion and diplomacy become an integral part of play.

There are a ton of different board games out there, but they can generally be broken down into one of the following categories:

Abstract Strategy-this includes chess, checkers, and go. Pretty much anything where the pieces and board aren't too fancy (unless you have a sweet themed chess board. Boba Fett takes Luke Skywalker's Rebel Soldier. Check.)

German Style-also known as Eurogames, this includes such classics as The Settlers of Catan and Puerto Rico. Also includes my personal favorite Agricola.

Doesn't this look like hours of fun?

Race Games-if you've played parchisi or backgammon (I haven't), then you've played a race game. Not to be confused with playing the "race card".

Roll-and-move-are pretty straightforward; you roll, then you move. this includes Monopoly and Life (although you actually spin a wheel in Life).

Trivia-Trivia Pursuit and Scene It come to mind. If you're answering questions in order to win, you're playing a trivia game.

Wargames-Risk, Axis & Allies, if you're using representations of soldiers to fight other players' representations of soldiers, it's a wargame.


Word Games-are dangerously closely related to Educational Games. If someone is making you play them and they're not a teacher and you're not in school, you may want to leave the area. Scrabble and Boggle are two popular examples.

You can't spell "excitement" without Scrabble! Wait, yes you can.

Family Games-are generally fun for kids and old people, and sometimes they're even fun for adults.

There are other types of games out there, but most games fall into the above categories somewhere. Wikipedia has a complete list if you're interested. But you're probably not interested in all the boring details. You want to know why you should turn of your XBox 360 and play a boring old board game, right? To be honest, I can't really give you a reason why you should. But I highly recommend giving board games a try. If your local game shop (you know, the place that sells D&D manuals and Magic cards where all the nerds hang out) hosts a board game night, I suggest going in order to get familiar with some of the more popular games for free. A lot of the games I recommend are pricey but definitely worth it.

This kid just landed on your Boardwalk.

Some of the best games out there fall into the Eurogames category. They are distinguished by having generally simple rules, short to medium playing times, indirect player interaction, and physical components, which are frequently wooden player tokens or markers. The games emphasize strategy, downplay luck and conflict, lean towards economic rather than military themes, and usually keep all the players in the game until it ends. German-style games are sometimes contrasted with American-style games, which generally involve more luck, conflict, and drama. If you or someone you know has ever broken down during a game of Monopoly, then you know what I mean.

So pull up a chair, and a table, and a $40 board game, some friends, and some more tables and you can have yourself an evening. How about it? Are you willing to give board games a try?