Games Britannia: Part 1

A while back now we were shown the first of three episodes by the BBC called Games Britannia. I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed it. There was so much fascinating information on ancient games such as Nine Men's Morris which can be found etched into ancient stonework all over the country.

The program then went on to talk about games such as Chess, Drafts, Backgammon and their origins. There was also a section on the origins of gambling and how it was not condoned by the church as it was considered the work of the devil. The church thought games should be played for fun and to pass the time (and possibly in some cases to convey ways of thinking to encourage followers but that's more my own opinion) Spinners were used to replace dice in the late 18th century due to their affiliation with the devil

The program also went over the origins of snakes and ladders. It was a game derived from the Hindi game of knowledge. This original was supposed to represent the quest for enlightenment. however in this version you could be removed from the competition all together by becoming trapped in the eternal loop of paradise. The 'Exact Roll' mechanic also comes from this part of the world but has since been removed from most modern western games because most of us find it tedious and frustrating. The reason for the initial implementation of this rule in the original is perhaps due to a difference in perceived time. We easily get bored quick and believe we have better things to do, we play games to win, for the competition, whereas the original was played to pass the time and to contemplate on life and its meaning.

I couldn't wait to be shown the next part of the series and reflecting back has brought back so much information that I hadn't taken in the first run through. I will be bogging about part 2 later on today.