Five classic board games that are still popular today

By Staff Reporter - 23 October 2017

Family

Despite the dawn of the digital age, the classic board game remains surprisingly robust. Sales of games like Monopoly and the late night favorite Taboo have increased in recent years. The value of playing boards game in a time-poor world cannot be underestimated. Board games are one of the few motivators for families to club together around the kitchen table and spend some time away from digital devices. Despite been around for hundreds of years, many games have their root in ancient myth; they remain popular across the country in 2017. Here are a few of our favourite classic games which are as popular as ever. Monopoly Monopoly - the ruthless game of inflation and bankruptcy was first published in 1935. Its harsh realities are still irking groups of families and friends across the world today, stumping up rent until one player reigns kings and the other fall by the economic wayside. Monopoly has been licensed in over 103 countries and translated into thirty-seven languages spanning every continent - a testament to the game's enjoyment and relevancy. The game has been published in multiple guises across the decades with novelty editions, such as famous TV locations, being used, as well as the more familiar streets of London and New York. It has also embraced the digital era with a monopoly casino game now as much revered and played as its former analogue predecessor. Snakes and Ladders What has now considered a worldwide classic was once an ancient Indian game shrouded in mystery and myth. Historically, the game was embedded with a profound tale of morality, with progression through the 100 squares representing one's journey through life. Just as in the world of the living, the game is plagued with vices and blessed with virtues in the form of ladders and snakes. The now popular phrase back to square one is thought to have originated from the game when a player is dealt a crushing blow and forced to forgo his position on the board back to the starting blocks. The game is as popular as ever, particularly with young children. The tropes of morality have all but been eradicated from the game and in the United States they have even changed the snaked to chutes or slides. Cluedo Cluedo is a game shrouded in mystery as players navigate the board to solve the murder of Dr. Black. It first originated over half a century ago and had since been subjected to multiple redesigns and updates. Each player takes on the identity of one of the infamous characters, such as Professor Plum or Colonel Mustard in a bid to catch the culprit and identify where they were killed and with what implement was the crime committed. Players navigate the 'house' as their respective characters and make suggestions about who, where and how Dr. Black came to his earthly demise. Cluedo is an incredibly popular family game and is still produced in mass today. Several versions such as a deluxe and vintage edition have been released across the decades. Guess Who Guess Who is a more recent addition to the game scene having been first developed in 1979. None the less, with the rise of digital gaming, it is still considered a vintage game in 2017. The aim of the game is to identify your opponent’s card by asking yes or no questions about their appearance. Multiple special editions have been commissioned and released over the years with variants including Disney characters, Star Wars characters and Marvel Comics heroes. In recent years, newer versions of the game have included a greater diversity of ethnic characters. The original version only featured one non-white person and had far fewer women than men. They have now rectified this issue. Connect 4 Also, known as Four in a Row, Connect Four boasts an incredibly simple format where players must place coloured counters into a vertical tray. There are several technical solutions to the game and Connect 4 has been studied by mathematicians and is often the subject of game theory. Multiple versions exist and digital and mobile phone versions have become popular since the rise of the smartphone industry.

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