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Board Games Revisited from the Past
By Veronica Shine
More and more individuals are seeking that perfect solution that will spark interest with their families or guests. What can be suggested that is loads of fun and never boring?
Let the games begin! Board games that is, which have never lost their luster. Nothing can provide enhanced quality time with others than a board game. A board games can consist of three main themes or a combination of all; those that require knowledge, strategy or pure luck.
Board games have been around for eons. Some of the earliest board games were trendy to Ancient Asia, Greece and Rome. The popularity of board games traveled to Western Europe and then eventually made it to the United States, where the top board game manufacturers still rule today.
"Rich Uncle Penneybags" was a character and official mascot associated with one of the most popular game of all times. It was created and patented by Elizabeth Magie in 1904, however, the game was become a legal battle with many others who made claim to its revised version for over forty years. No one is truly sure of whom the rightful inventors are but it was finally settled in court during the 1980s that Charles Darrow was.
You may not know it by its original name, "The Landlord's Game." The basis for the game is so well-liked; it is in production in more than 80 countries and produced in at least 26 different languages. Have you figured out the name of today's version yet? It is "Monopoly," the top selling board game of all time and forever money maker for Parker Brothers!
Many people believe that "The Game of Life" was a knock off of "Monopoly" when it was released in 1959. However, that is incorrect because Milton Bradley invented his first game called, "The Checkered Game of Life" in 1860. This games´ immediate popularity placed Milton Bradley as a contender in the game business and sold 45,000 copies within the year.
Nearing the 100th anniversary of the Milton Bradley Company, the "Checkered Game of Life" board game was discovered in the archives and redeveloped as "The Game of Life." In 1992, the game added recycling trash, learning CPR and saying "no" to drugs as part of a way update it. "The Game of Life" is still a world-wide seller, available in 20 different languages.
"Conquest of the World" was proposed by the director of the beloved classic, "The Red Balloon." French Filmmaker, Albert Lamorisse, conceived this idea for a board game in 1957, which Parker Bro-thers adapted his game into "Risk" in 1959. Albert Lam-orisse would never imagine that the game would grow in popularity with individuals worldwide would still be playing it today.
In 1931, an out-of-work architect named Alfred Mosher Butts invented a game called "Lexico," which blended anagrams and crossword puzzles. After unsuccessfully to gain interest from any major game manufacturers; he decided to retro-fit his game. By 1938, with a game board and assigned each letter on a square tile with a specific point value would increase by creating a word. He called this modified version "Criss-Cross Words" and manufactured each game completely by hand, selling it for $2. Ten years later, he sold his rights and another classic game played today was born, "Scrabble."
Parker Brothers introduced Clue in 1949 to the U.S., but it actually was Anthony E. Pratt who invented the classic "who dunnit" game, "Clue," in Britain in 1944. The original patent was provided and manufactured by Waddington's Games in Leeds, England. Becoming the talk of the town, its premise was made into 1985 cinema comedy with all the central characters from the board game in the flesh. The participation of the audience in selecting the murderer encouraged many to see the film several times for alternate endings. Miss Scarlet, Professor Plum and others are never outdated but they are still suspects.
Some of the earliest games are as refreshing today as they were thousands of years ago. One such game is "The Royal Game of India aka Parcheesi." The estimated timeframe of its development is around 500 BC. "Parcheesi," is presently manufactured by Hasbro, but one can find similarities with slight variations in its complement "Sorry!" adopted by Parker Brothers in 1934.
Some of the earliest gaming boards have been found during ancient archaeological digs. The ancient Egyptians played a game called the "Game of Thirty Squares" or "Senet." One of the oldest finds of "Senet," dates to 3000BC and was discovered in Iran in the ancient Persian city of Shahr-e Sukhteh.
The "Senet" game discovered included a rectangular board made of ebony with pieces made from turquoise and agate, and dice. This find has been acknowledged as the oldest "backgammon" set in the world. So keep rolling the dice on this ancient favorite.
The next time you sit around the table with your favorite board game, keep in the back of your mind that it may be a lot older, even though you purchased it at the retailers last week. Enjoy a blast from the past and have fun today!