Board games history: the great-grandfathers of chess
Posted by: Luk on: December 17, 2009
Ancient Lewis chess set
It was believed that winning players of Senet were protected by the tree most powerful gods of ancient Egypt: Ra, Thoth and Osiris.
The Senet is played on a bridge of thirty boxes, while on the back, a second plank of twenty boxes were used for another game called Tjau, but we don’t know with certainty the rules of the game.
King chess piece
Four sets to play Senet, handmade carved in ivory, were discovered in the tomb of Tutankhamen in 1333 BC.
Another ancient board game is the chess set of the Scottish island of Lewis, consisting of 78 pieces of Nordic origin made with Ivory and whale bones. The Isle of Lewis Chess Set is a really piece of games archaeology and dates back to the twelfth century (1150-1170 AD) and perhaps, it is the only examples to date of existing medieval chess.
Bishop chess piece
Probably these Chess looking like pieces have been lost or abandoned by some Nordic merchant and the Scottish island of Lewis.
Currently 67 pieces are kept at the British Museum, while the other 11 are located at the Royal Museum of Scotland.
Board games for Christmas: Heroscape and Settlers of Catan
Posted by: Luk on: December 15, 2009
For Christmas and News Eve holidays we shall meet the family: children and adults together around a big dining table. That’s a good occasion to play the best board games and party games for all the family. Certainly among the most classic games are always fun and Monopoly, Risk, Scrabble and bingo, where the legendary Grandma usually scoops the jackpot.
Do not despise even the Quiz Trivial Pursuit, in all the sauces and classic party games. In short, these are the classic board games to buy this Christmas, but if you look for the latest games releases, you can buy Heroscape and Settlers of Catan.
Heroscape and Settlers of Catan are two role plays / board games that bring fun to all family, adults in particular.
Heroscape is a game branded Hasbro and it’s a little bit pricey (around 60 pounds). But this board game is really fun to play an d will appeal to those who love heroes and monsters and the fantasy genre with special missions and quests to do. A Master will follow the whole story, managing the game with its beautiful miniatures and settings. Many cards and dice look very similar to Dungeons and Dragons.
Settlers of Catan, has instead aims to create cities and to defend them from the other contingencies. This board game is like Sim City and the strand to create social environments completely unpredictable.
Christmas board games for all the family
Posted by: Luk on: December 14, 2009
Christmas holidays are a time to play family board games, never so in vogue as this year.
Tombola and not only: the Christmas holidays are a time of social and family board games, never so in vogue as this year. There are some new entries this year among board games as the new Force 4X4 and Clue Harry Potter, but the evergreen classics board games are always the most played games, with millions of fans around the world.
Beginning with the dear old Monopoly, with the little green houses, so worldwide famous that Ridley Scott is adapting it into a movie. Monopoly, distributed by Hasbro, has incredible numbers: it was played by some 750 million people since 1935, making the “most played board game in history .
Starting in 1935, has sold over 250 million copies of Monopoly in 106 countries and 40 languages. Have been published over 200 editions of the game, but the most popular is the classic number nine which is based on the streets of Atlantic City and is nearly identical to the original version by Charles Darrow presented to Parker Brothers. 74 years of history always renewed: from simple board games iPhone application has become the most downloaded, for PC.
In 1998 jeweller Sidney Mobell has created the version most valuable in the world: a Monopoly all gold and precious stones from the value of 2 million.
Among the board games pole position on the shelves for this Christmas we have the classic Blokus, and EternityII, who returns this year with a new version and the game becomes even more fun thanks to the presence of sound effects that will recognize the different parts aching.
Top party games for adults and kids: board games and skill games.
Posted by: Luk on: December 13, 2009
Party games for adults and kids, such as board games and skill games, are increasing their presence online. There are many websites totally dedicated to the world of gaming, board games and skill games with reviews and advices for online buying.
If you have original gaming ideas you can also create your own party game with paper and pencil or amaze your friends with magic card tricks.
You can showcase your skills with party games kids and adults and thes are the top games to challenge your friend:
Conjuring triks;
to amaze your audiences, conjuring tricks are games with a magical surprise at the end. Those games are fun even for spectators but the best of this category are the conjuring tricks that involve the active participation of kids in the game.
Board Games;
Board games are always present in the life of every child, young person and adult, because are fun gaming activities to play around a table. Board games are clever and fun and do not require much space to be played, for this reason, they represent the perfect recreational activity to spend pleasant moments in company and friendship.
Card games:
Today, there are many famous card games; many of them like poker, are inappropriate for children and are only for adults. But there are also many educational card games for children that can be played with cards, paper and pencil.
Memory and observation games;
Powers of observation and memory are essential to play these games. Playing memory and observation games invest skills and concentration and can definitely train the brain of the players and build their imagination.
Wordplay and puns;
Wordplay and puns are useful for teaching and training kids and to develop mental flexibility and linguistic ability. Wordplay and puns are usually played indoors and are suitable for people of all ages.
Other Skill games;
Other skill games, such as videogames, quiz games, riddles and puzzle games are perfect to animate and entertain adults, teenagers and children because they’ help to build a good atmosphere and a sense of group cohesion.
Kids at play: group games for children
Posted by: Luk on: December 9, 2009
Kids at play are happy kids and group games (or sports) can really be great educational activities for your children.
Group games ask players a personal participation and at the same time involve groups’ dynamics and interpersonal relationship. When kids play group games, they create and interact in a climate of cooperation and fun. In group games, every child is an important member of the team and determines the success of the group. Group games can be organized in outdoor open spaces or indoor, and are great during children parties and kids’ birthdays. The number of children and participants in the game can vary.
Kids have fun together playing group games:
Classic group games such as trust games, cooperation games, patience games, can really be great educational activities for kids. All these group games require a number of participants and children can vary from a few kids to more than 20.
Group games are often based on tactics, well-defined tasks, roles and strategies for participants, and require a strong partnership between kids. Many group games (and sports) of this kind can be played with balls, freebees and other tools.
Kids at play: the educational value of gaming and party games
Posted by: Luk on: December 4, 2009
kids at play sign
Party games, gaming, playing strategies recreation and leisure are nowadays object of increasing attention. The educational value of party games and gaming activities plays a certain role in the education and growth of the child. New studies and disciplines train teachers and educators more prepared and professional in offering party games and gaming activities to support the educational development of children.
The best party games for kids and adults can be divided into group games, outdoor and indoor games, skill games and board games. Party games and tournaments are also great occasions to improve group socialization and discussion and to establish solid team works.
But before endorsing this educational path we should really understand what play means to children:
Playing a game for a kid means bring into play all his skills, learn problem solving, confront himself with others, have fun and enjoy his time with others.
In this view party games and gaming activities begun a powerful training tool for children and a valuable teaching support for educators even for older kids (thinking of board games skill games, quiz games, trivia, puzzles, brain teasers and riddles). Educational gaming activities have the ability to combine and elaborate in different ways data and information and concentrate into few moves or actions an entire universe of meanings and symbols. Once you’re in the game you can change your point of view, analyze and evaluate your own experiences. For example this is very true in sports, especially for children and teenagers.
In the playing activity, players show their personalities and characteristics, their feelings and thoughts, cooperating and interacting with their opponents to accomplish a common goal at the end of the game.
Party games and gaming activities are essential for the educational development of a kid and should accompany al his growth, making him laugh and enjoy his life from 0 to 90 years old.
Online games for kids top list: free educational flash games
Posted by: Luk on: December 2, 2009
online games for kids
For this reason I decided to post this free online games top list, to flag some interesting and educational flash games websites found online. This is my personal free online games top list, but if you have other suggestions or you think I’ve missed some important resources feel free to add them in your comments.
All these free online games for kids listed below can help your children to improve different skills and abilities especially those regarding scholastic education.
Free educational online games are developed to support kids learning and help them to go deep to the earth of the school subjects (math, literature, reading and writing, history, geography, music, geometry).
Educational games: e-learning and videogames in school education
Posted by: Luk on: November 25, 2009
Educational videogames
The use of educational games, e-learning and videogames in school education became one of the main objectives of many research centres around the world.
In United States Microsoft, Columbia University and New York University had started a partnership with the Games for learning institute, to conduct different researches on educational games, e-learning and videogames.
In Europe the need for an implementation of new educational tools in school education is the new scientific research’s challenge.
The aim of all these organizations is to conduct differnet researches on the use of games, e-learning and videogames as learning tools, trying to find the perfect implementation of these new digital tools in school education.
The European Schoolnet recently completed a survey project called Games in School, developed to analyze the use of educational videogames in European schools.
Read the rest of this entry »
Old toys and classic games for a dip into past amusements
Posted by: Luk on: November 17, 2009
Expensive old toys
Old toys and classic games are nowadays part of famous collections.
Trains, planes and cars models, dolls and dollhouses, rocking horses, optical toys, wood construction, and all other kinds of old toys and classic games are collected from nostalgics and amateurs in desperate need for a dip into past amusements.
Today, many old toys and classic games of our great-grandfathers, are considered real artefacts , and are collected by many amateurs willing to preserve our history and traditions.
Old authentic toys (There are a lot of fakes in circulation) can be really expensive; for example the value of a rare small toy made between 1880 and 1940 can cost from £400 to £1500, and there are some unique pieces valued thousands of pounds.
Old Toys and classic games can sometimes be interpreted as a cultural phenomenon, that reflects mores and traditions of a particular historical period.
However some old toys and classic games, seem more fashionable than others, and probably contributed to shape a old but still alive cultural heritage common to many countries and people.
This is true also for old toys and classic games whose origins are lost in history, like dolls, rocking horses and toy soldiers, and for more recent inventions, such as metal cars and trucks models.
Read the rest of this entry »
Buy clever games
Toys & Games
Classic games & toys shop; to find online board games, toys, gifts, cool gadgets, brain teasers, quiz, travel games, party games, geek stuff, vintage games and other cool stuff
Gaming bloggers
Share Games for your mind !
Gaming comments