The History of Games
The History of Games is Older Than You Think
Games are ageless, and for that reason I had to categorize them into 3 distinct timeline Eras
TheModern Marvels are any games that were created in this century, and there are some great new comers.
Old School Games are any game from the start of the industrial revolution, specifically with the invention of the printing press in 1440, (when we first got cardboard and playing cards), to the turn of the 21st century.
Ancients are any games that are older. I believe that games are older than Man himself.
Think about that statement.
Games are older than Mankind.
Let me logically convince you.
Consider the hammer for a moment. It is the first and most abstract tool we have. It can be used for assembly, and disassembly. For construction as well as for destruction. It can be a most useful tool, or a powerful weapon, and it too predates mankind.
Now let’s go to the map of human evolution. Regardless of the number of silhouettes representing man’s journey, you will always recognize 2 key players- the Neanderthal, and the first human.
If Neanderthal man carried a club, (his hammer), then somewhere, at sometime in that 10 - 20 thousand years of evolution the first game of ‘Whack a Mole’ would have predated the first Human Being.
It is in our primate nature to want to play.
Games are magical in that sense, they are in our DNA. They teach, they inspire, they enlighten, they present themselves as a challenge, we learn from them, and they are a prime conduit to build connections.
Human social connections… that’s what we desperately need more of in this digital age.
Games have been used throughout history to strategize conquests by preplanning moves and simulating outcomes. ALL sports get their origins from games. In many cultures, games are used in matrimonial ceremonies and can enhance courtships. Games have been credited with starting wars, and can also be used to resolve differences. In every facet of our lives and all throughout human history, games have been a key influencer.
If nothing else, I believe ‘games’ in the most generic sense, have earned their spot in a time capsule representing Mankind’s place in the universe.