Humans seeking recreational activity is nothing new. We may think of our modern age as a time of luxury and relaxation, and in some ways this is true, but games are not new things to our world. As old as civilization mankind has found ways to pass the days. Dice games have existed almost as long as human history. The royal game of Ur has been played for millennia, and most people are familiar about the ancient history of chess, if only from the vastly underappreciated Broadway show centered in the Cold War era. Well, probably not from that but that is why I know it. More people need to know that show. It is brilliant. Moving on, the game world grew exponentially for a time in the 20th century. Then, as technology advanced and people started making more complex machines and eventually personal computers, the world of recreation became digital, and for a long time seemed like it would overtake and replace the board games that had been around for centuries. Even as the video game industry has exploded into a multi-billion enterprise, what we have seen is actually a sort of golden age of board games. Why have games lasted so long and become such an integral part of our culture? What is it that connects the traditional games of years past to the video games of today, and what about them has allowed them to coexist?
There are lots of reasons a person may play games. Many games are for larger social settings, things like charades or other large party games bring people together and build relationships while testing different skill sets. People play these games to come together, to relax, and to enjoy one another's company. More are tests of skill or intellect, challenges against another individual in a battle of wits as in chess or go. These games are played to test ourselves against others, to feel superior in some way or to learn new ways of thinking in defeat. Yet another type of game is played to escape, to enter different worlds and spend time as a different person or being, like in Dungeons and Dragons. Video games have come to do these same things, with new twists. Games can still bring people together, and now from miles away and in larger numbers. Games are still a way to test one's skill, but now another person is not necessary for this, as computer opponents can help to hone one's skills. And perhaps most prominently, gaming lets people leave their world and spend time in another, now fully rendered with the highest level 3D or even VR graphics. Both board games and video games provide the same sorts of challenge, entertainment, and experience but in very different ways that has allowed them both to continue to rise in popularity and coexistence.
