Victorian Era Board Games

Which Victorian era board or table game have you played?

  • Chess

    Votes: 29 82.9%
  • Checkers

    Votes: 30 85.7%
  • Backgammon

    Votes: 22 62.9%
  • Spillikins ("Pick-up Sticks")

    Votes: 13 37.1%
  • Tiddleywinks

    Votes: 16 45.7%
  • Other (please share)

    Votes: 4 11.4%

  • Total voters
    35
Joined
Nov 26, 2016
Location
central NC
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The Chess Players by Joseph Clark (England, 1860)
Just like our Victorian friends, I love playing board games. My favorite is backgammon and I'm actually pretty good at it. It's been a chilly and rainy day in North Carolina so I've enjoyed reading about the board games our Victorians most enjoyed.

The late 1800s can be considered "the golden age of board and table games." Board games became more popular in the U.S. around the beginning of the Civil War as people looked for pleasant ways to amuse themselves and escape from the turmoil around them. Additionally, new printing techniques allowed companies to create a wide range of board games at prices most families could afford.

In the first part of the 19th century, Americans played games that were manufactured in England or ones that they made based on English games, but toward the end of the 19th century, American companies began to make more games of their own design that reflected American culture.


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Some of the games played during the Victorian Era are from earlier periods, like Chess and Checkers. Other board games developed during the Victorian era were based on different themes. There were many games with educational themes like quiz games about history, literature and geography. Some were based on nursery rhymes and fairy tales. Many taught a moral along with the story. A lot of the earliest board games in the U.S. emphasized Christian morality, rewarding players who landed on squares designated as specific virtues, including honesty and humility.

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(Pinterest)

Do you enjoy playing board games? If so, what's your favorite?




Source: Hofer, Margaret K. The Games We Played: The Golden Age of Board and Table Games. New York: Princeton Architectural Press, 2003.




 
I marked 'checkers' as it's one I played more recently outside a Victorian themed restaurant in Disneyland.

It's nice and straightforward, and an easy one for children to learn, though they do have a tendency to want to make moves that will allow them to win even if it means cheating :laugh: As an adult, I also had to be careful sometimes not to get caught up in the game, and create a 'smackdown' moment that would have them howling :cry:

The game that became the bain of my life was Monopoly. Guessing they didn't have that then. But, that game could last for hours and it sucked if you didn't own the big properties with which to make a killing :rolleyes:

So, board games are great ways to pass the time on rainy days.
 
The game that became the bain of my life was Monopoly. Guessing they didn't have that then. But, that game could last for hours and it sucked if you didn't own the big properties with which to make a killing :rolleyes:

I can relate to your Monopoly woes! The earliest known version of Monopoly, was called The Landlord's Game. It was designed by an American woman. Elizabeth Magie first patented it in 1904, but I read that it existed as early as 1902.
 
I voted "others" (among others) since I often play Halma with my Mom when I visit. You might know it under the name Chinese Checkers. It was developed in 1883 or 1884 by George Howard Monks and was inspired by an English game called Hoppity, devised in 1854.

Another game I imagine the Victorians probably played was Pachisi - nowadays known under names like Parcheesi (America), Ludo (UK) and Mensch ärgere dich nicht (Germany). The games origins are in India and has seen many variations over time. Mensch ärgere dich nicht is a family favorite at my grandparents' place. We have a board allowing for up to six players. One round can easily take up an entire evening!

It's nice and straightforward, and an easy one for children to learn, though they do have a tendency to want to make moves that will allow them to win even if it means cheating :laugh: As an adult, I also had to be careful sometimes not to get caught up in the game, and create a 'smackdown' moment that would have them howling :cry:
Amen! I used to play it with my sister when we were kids. Since we're both quite competitive, that often resulted in howling when one 'smacked' the other. :rolleyes:

The game that became the bain of my life was Monopoly. Guessing they didn't have that then. But, that game could last for hours and it sucked if you didn't own the big properties with which to make a killing :rolleyes:
When I introduced Monopoly to my grandparents, my grandpa insisted on intensively studying the rules first - which only confused him. So I explained while we played a first casual round. He was constantly complaining about one thing or another. When we then started a serious round with no more explanations and many no-no's, guess who won. :D He even managed to bankrupt the bank!
 
Since we're both quite competitive,
I have one child who is so competitive she once locked herself in the bathroom after losing a game and had to be tempted out with a chocolate bar :laugh: Serena Williams has nothing on this kid! And she could John McEnroe it with the best of them :D
My guess is she will be a champion one day :smoke:

But, yes, board games present their own hazards when a competitive player throws the board up because they are losing, or in your Grandfather's case bankrupts the bank so the whole economy collapses! Personally, I'd be happy for him to do that about two hours in ...
 
During the 1880s, more games began to emphasize the acquisition of material wealth. Fortune-telling games were also popular at the time because Victorians were fascinated by mysticism and the occult. There were several games that focused on structured conversations, which seems to imply that people at the time favored controlled social situations. For instance, there were conversation card games that were used as ice breakers for courting couples. I guess they were meant to be humorous and romantic and take some of the awkwardness out of flirting. In one of the games one person would put down a question and the other would put down an answer. Of course our Victorian friends were very polite so there was no shock value.
 
Ellie. One summer in our home town during the Cold War, the Russian government sent several engineers over to the United States on some fact finding mission. I was fortunate enough to play chess with them. It was a fantastic time. I really learned a lot from them and their culture. By the end of the summer I was able to beat each one of them in chess. I was apart of our college's chess team which won several championships. Unfortunately, I have lost interest in chess through the years since everyone I used to play with has either died or moved away from Harrisburg. When I was a little boy I used to play checkers with my grandfather every day. It was part of the most memorable times we both shared together. Thank You for allowing me to relive those wonderful and very happy memories from my childhood. David.
 
I used to play checkers a lot when I was a kid, then I moved onto chess and then got into board games. I'm an expert in Monopoly now and have recently branched out into other board games too.
 
I've tried several different board games years ago but I really don't have time for such pastimes now.I'd rather read a book. "Give-it-a-- spin" or "roll-the- dice" just don't strike me as being too skillful. Too much Randomness or Chance involved.Checkers are a good example of a game of skill. Your skill or the mistakes by an opponent determine the outcome not a roll of the dice. I hope I'm not ruining board games for those who give some thought.
 
During the 1880s, more games began to emphasize the acquisition of material wealth. Fortune-telling games were also popular at the time because Victorians were fascinated by mysticism and the occult. There were several games that focused on structured conversations, which seems to imply that people at the time favored controlled social situations. For instance, there were conversation card games that were used as ice breakers for courting couples. I guess they were meant to be humorous and romantic and take some of the awkwardness out of flirting. In one of the games one person would put down a question and the other would put down an answer. Of course our Victorian friends were very polite so there was no shock value.

Let's not forget the infamous Ouija Board! It's was first produced commercially in a form we are today familiar with in 1890 by a man named Elijah Bond. Though spiritualists were using spirit boards as early 1886 to commune with the departed. The boards came into wider popularity after WWI given the great loss of life that occurred and people clamored to speak one last time to their loved ones lost in battle.
 
I think thats the appeal of Checkers and Dominoes. The rules are simple. I've declined many other "games" because the rules were too complicated. Plus the words "play" and "games" sound like something kids do. Hard to call it Skill but it sure isnt Luck either. Well I guess it's sort of luck when your opponent makes a stupid move!
 
Gosh, dominoes! That was a serious business at my grandmother's...but it sure honed my basic math skills at a young age. They were NOT particularly nice to a young child, either. You either played like an adult or were banned from the table. Being a major suck-up, I played.

I feel like there were other games my mom taught me that would have qualified as Victorian, but I've gotten old and can't remember any.
 
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