Board games have been in existence over centuries ago. The oldest known board games trace as far back as 5870 B.C. This just proves the human necessity to be entertained and challenged at the same time. Board games, more than any, requires mental strategizing. Unlike sports, where the mind is challenged as well but concentrates more on the physical capabilities of the player, board games requires the competence of the player's thinking process and quick-wittedness to win. This is one of the attributes that set apart board games from many other games.
Board Games Live and Die
This does not mean, however, that all board games are successful. Board games live and die depending on their popularity. If there is an art in playing them, there is even greater art required in creating them. Senet and Mehen are board games traced back in ancient Egypt, but their existence in contemporary or popular culture is almost nonexistent, but their evolution can be more recognizable today. Truth to be told, it is the applicability of the game towards the modern times that, most of the time, decides if the game will live on or wither away.
Grandparents of Board Games
Backgammon, Go and Chess are probably the oldest games still played today. Backgammon is considered as a race game. It requires moving one's pieces across to the other side of the board. This game needs to roll dice to determine the moves of the game. This game dates back to ancient Egypt, around 3000 B.C., and it's believed to have evolved from the ancient game of Senet.
Go is believed to have originated in China back in mid-2000 B.C. specifically, it can be traced to Emperor Yao, and subsequently its popularity spread to Korea and Japan. Chess, on the other, was believed to have originated in India in the 6th century. Scholars consider chess to have evolved from an ancient game called Chaturanga.
Clearly Go predates chess a few thousand years back, but they have their similarities. Each only requires two players, and they have to outwit one another. It is not surprising to know that chess originated from India, a country that shares a border with China. However, one glaring similarity both Go and chess have is that they are both war games.
