Stop Saying Games are Young and Take Pride in the Colourful History of Games
summary
Asserts games predate other arts and business models, tracing concrete milestones: Senet 5,500–8,000 years old and Chinese Liubo/Yi present in Confucius' era; Mancala with >800 historical variants; medieval Europe issues 14th–15th century bans and Nuremberg burns allegedly list “76 ledgers” of games; card culture spawns over 400 new card games in 150 years; 19th‑century Kriegsspiel becomes a military planning tool (influencing Schlieffen Plan simulations) and coin‑op Bagatelle/pinball creates the arcade monetisation model that video games later reuse.
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chapters (10)
- 0:00Introduction and the claim games are older than art
- 1:30Games predate humanity through the role of play
- 3:15Ancient Egypt and China’s early board games
- 5:48Games across ancient high cultures and Buddha’s list
- 7:16Playing cards and their controversial spread in Europe
- 9:06Renaissance parlor games and women’s role in gaming
- 10:11Military simulations and Kriegsspiel’s historical impact
- 12:41Pinball’s coin-operated origins and cultural spread
- 14:37Conclusion games are ancient and industry pride
- 16:25Q&A on play rules and game design lessons
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