From the dawn of time up until about fifty years ago, people didn’t have TV, the internet or computers to pass the time in some enjoyable way. Instead of binge-watching Netflix, people in the “old days” did other things to entertain themselves like make music, go to theater productions, and play games. Several historic and even a few ancient games are still being played today! Here are a few of the games that go back centuries.
The Game of Life (1790)
Colonial life wasn’t all about hardship; there was still plenty of time for games. Because of the strict moral code that existed at the time, games were often used to teach children about making good decisions in life. In 1790, a game called “The New Game of Human Life” was released. In it, players took turns traveling the winding path of life as their characters transitioned from infancy to youth to adulthood and into old age. Along the way, they had to make decisions that would impact their progression through life. Sound familiar?
The progression of life might have changed, but the game itself has remained much the same. The modern version of the game of “Life” includes newer aspects of living in the modern age but is basically the same game as the original.
Chess (500 CE)
Chess: the game of kings. There’s some discrepancy about the exact year when it was invented, but it’s generally accepted that people have been playing chess since at least the 6th century CE. Archaeologists have uncovered game pieces that were much older, but they’re not certain if they’re from chess or from some different game.
Either way, chess has been a favorite of strategy-minded competitors for at least 1,500 years and doesn’t show any signs of stopping. In 1997, a computer named Deep Blue beat a human chess grandmaster for the first time in history.
Go (2356 BCE)
Go is an ancient East Asian board game that involves capturing territory on the board by taking turns placing colored pieces. Go may have been created as early as 2356 BCE according to some sources. It has been a favorite throughout Asia since that time.
Go is a popular game for young children because the rules are so simple. But it can be played at much, much higher levels as well. Some people even train their entire lives to be masters of it. In 2017, a Go master was defeated by a computer for the first time in history, adding Go to the list of games in which computers are better than humans.
Backgammon (3000 BCE)
Along with checkers and senet, backgammon is one of the oldest games in history. There’s evidence that it may have been played over 5,000 years ago. More conclusive research shows that a favorite game of the ancient Romans was the “Twelve-lined Game,” which was essentially identical to modern backgammon.
The object of the game is to race pieces from one side of the board to the other based on the throw of dice. Backgammon became incredibly popular around the 20th century and is still widely played throughout the world, especially in Mediterranean countries.
Checkers (3000 BCE)
For those who don’t like all the thinking and rules involved in chess, there’s checkers. Because of its simplicity, most people learn checkers at a young age and use it as an introduction to strategy-based games.
Of the two, checkers is actually the oldest. Chess wasn’t invented until around 500 CE — or so researchers think — while checkers has been around since 3000 BCE in some form or another. Originally, checkers was played on a five-by-five grid. In 1100 CE, the game was moved to a chessboard and more pieces were added, creating the modern game of checkers that’s popular today. In Europe, it’s called “Draughts” (pronounced “drafts”).
Senet (3500 BCE)
While most of these games go back centuries, Senet is a game that goes back millennia. In fact, it’s considered to be the oldest known board game in the world. There’s evidence that people have been playing Senet since 3500 BCE!
There are people who still enjoy playing the ancient Egyptian board game. You can even pick up a Senet board from Amazon and toy stores.