Board Games
What do chess, checkers, backgammon, Chutes and Ladders, Trivial Pursuit, and Monopoly all have in common? They’re all the names of board games, of course!
People have enjoyed playing board games since ancient times. Today, there are thousands of different board games, and they are still as popular as ever.
WHAT IS A BOARD GAME?
Traditionally, board games are played on a flat surface made of cardboard, wood, or even stone. Board games usually have pieces that move around the board. Often, players roll dice or turn cards to help determine how the pieces move. Most board games are played between two or more people or teams. But some can be played alone.
WHAT’S THE GOAL?
The most common board games involve strategy, races, or collecting points. In strategy games, the goal is to capture other pieces or territory on the board. In chess, for example, the real aim is to trap just one piece: your opponent’s king. Along the way, you capture other pieces, too. In checkers, you win by capturing all your opponent’s pieces.
In race games, you try to be the first to finish the game. In backgammon the winner is the first player to move all of his pieces around and off the board. In other games, like Monopoly, you move around a board but you don’t race or capture pieces. You try to collect as much play money as possible, and the player with the most money wins.
SKILL OR LUCK?
Many board games require both skill and luck to win. If players throw dice or choose cards, the game has an element of chance. That means you might win by having good luck.
But some games require only skill. There is no luck or chance involved at all. Checkers is a good example. There are no dice or cards to help determine moves. Every move is chosen by the players. The better you play, the better chance you’ll have to win.
OLD GAMES AND NEW GAMES
Backgammon is the oldest game in recorded history. It’s been played for thousands of years and comes from an ancient region in the Middle East. Other games, like chess, gradually developed from very old games. But even chess hasn’t changed much for the last 500 years.
All board games aren’t old. New board games appear every year. Popular games like Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, and Clue are all relatively new. Who knows, people might be playing Monopoly 500 years from now. What do you think?
NO BOARD REQUIRED
Today, players often play board games without a board. How can that be? Because the games can be played on a computer. The board and pieces are on the screen. Two or more people can play a board game on one computer, or you can play alone against the computer. Using the Internet, you can play against someone thousands of miles away. Imagine playing chess with someone in Australia, or checkers with a stranger in Japan. You can!
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