The origin of board games goes back to ancient times. The earliest pieces of a board game were found in southeast Turkey and are believed to date all the way to 5000 BC.
Today, people are more likely to learn hоw to play craps or different games on their computers and phones, but board games still make a fantastic pastime that is enjoyed by many. Board games are typically played by families on their game nights or college roommates spending some quality bonding time. There are also those who want to relive their childhood and evoke the memories of an analog age when gathering around the board, strategizing and moving pieces was more fun than any PC game of today could ever bring.
Here are top three board games which have withstood the test of time and are still enjoyed by many people all around the world.
- Monopoly
Believe it or not, Monopoly is almost 115 years old. The game can last for hours and is played by rolling the dice and moving pieces across the board. There are two stacks of cards to be used and the famous Monopoly money, as well.
After some time, the board gets filled with the iconic greenhouses and red hotels which increase property ownership and bring a lot of rent to the owners – consequently stripping those who stop at those places of the same amounts of money. The card you collect along the way can bring you both good and bad fortunes, and you can even land in jail.
Like with any game, sometimes all you need is a little bit of luck in the cards that you are dealt with, but the game also provides a lesson on keeping finances, negotiations and basic mathematical and risk management skills.
- Scrabble
This classic and yet simple board game makes use of lettered tiles for making words on the board. If you play your tiles right, you can place them on bonus spaces and get plenty of points. All the tiles have points assigned to the letters that are on them, and, of course, rare letters are worth larger points whereas common letters are assigned lower points. This means that you can get a high-hitting score short word by making an uncommon letter combination, or by playing a long word which brings a lot of points, as well.
If you are a real vocabularian, you can try and make a seven-letter word which can bring you additional 50 points. The game ends when one player uses all letter tiles, and the winner is the one with the highest score.
- Risk
For those who like strategic military games, there’s nothing that can top this one. The board is a world map of six continents divided into 42 territories. There are between four and twelve territories on each continent, which are all a different color. The goal is to defend and acquire territories and ultimately – conquer the entire world. Armies contain three types of pieces: infantry, cavalry and artillery.
This game requires quick decisions and careful planning, and let’s not forget maybe the most important thing – boldness.
