The History of Games: Surprising Facts About Board Games and Video Games

The oldest known board game, Senet, was played in ancient Egypt over 4,000 years ago.

It wasn’t just for fun—Egyptians believed it had spiritual significance, guiding souls to the afterlife.

The game was so important that it was even buried with pharaohs!

Imagine a game being so meaningful that it followed you into eternity.

Chess, one of the most strategic games ever, originated in India around the 6th century.

It was called Chaturanga and represented military divisions—infantry, cavalry, elephants, and chariots.

The game spread to Persia, where it evolved into modern chess.

Fun fact: The phrase ‘checkmate’ comes from the Persian ‘Shah Mat,’ meaning ‘the king is dead.’ In 1983,

the video game industry nearly collapsed due to an oversaturated market and poor-quality games.

One infamous failure was the E.T.

game for Atari, which was so bad that unsold copies were buried in a landfill.

The industry only recovered when Nintendo introduced the NES, reviving gaming with classics like Super Mario Bros.

The first video game ever?

It wasn’t Pong!

In 1958, physicist William Higinbotham created ‘Tennis for Two’ on an oscilloscope.

It was a simple tennis simulation, but it amazed visitors at a science fair.

Decades later, video games became a global phenomenon, proving that even a tiny experiment can spark an entire

industry.