We all know what board games are but which were the first created and when? How have board games retained their popularity with the inventions of television, video games and computers?

Some suggest that the Mancala family of games were the earliest, which at the time were played with beans or stones being moved around in parallel rows dug in the dirt, were found in 5870 BC in Jordan. Others say it was Senet, which seems to have been the early ancestor of Backgammon, found in Predynastic Egyptian in 3500 BC. Another suggested early game was The Royal Game of Ur, referring to the city-state, which was home to Abraham, dating back to more than 2500 BC.

Popularity of board games seems to have jumped in the 20th century when the middle class had more disposable income and more free time to play them. Many classic board games date back to this time period. Monopoly, Risk, Scrabble and Clue are just a few that date back to the first half of the 20th century.

In the late 20th century, when television became more popular, board games started to lose their popularity. It was then that board games were made based on television shows in order to bring the consumer back.

Between television and the growing popularity of video games, the board game industry had to come up with more challenging games to keep people interested. Trivia games such as Trivial Pursuit answered this need in the 1980’s.

Around the year 2000, when computers had become the top form of entertainment the board game industry had to change yet again to answer this need. Many games have been made recently using CD’s or DVD’s as an additional component to the game. Some of these games then become interactive. Yet in others the video component asks the questions of a trivia game. Players still utilize the board and pieces but refer to the CD or DVD to play the game.

While the Board Game industry is ever changing with societal changes, it always remains a constant in family entertainment.