Board games—those little boxes of chaos and camaraderie—have been sparking family feuds and friendly competition for centuries, with a surprisingly ancient history. Long before Monopoly and Scrabble, our ancestors were rolling dice and moving tokens in pursuit of victory.

The first known board game, Senet, dates back to around 3100 BC in Egypt. It was a strategic game so popular, even King Tut played it, believing it helped guide souls to the afterlife! Meanwhile, in Mesopotamia around 2500 BC, the Royal Game of Ur introduced the world to dice.

Fast forward to Ancient Rome and Greece, where games like Ludus Latrunculorum (a chess precursor) were enjoyed by soldiers and philosophers alike.

The real board game boom came in the 19th century, thanks to more leisure time and mass production. In 1860, The Game of Life (yes, that one) was invented, offering a moral journey from childhood to adulthood. Then, during the Great Depression, Monopoly arrived, giving people the chance to dream of wealth—at least on paper.

Soon, classics like Scrabble (1938) and Clue (1949) followed, adding wordplay and mystery to the mix. By the 1980s, games like Trivial Pursuit and Risk captured imaginations, while modern hits like Catan and Ticket to Ride brought fresh strategies into the fold. Whether you’re racing through Candy Land, plotting world domination in Risk, or trading sheep in Catan, there’s a game for everyone.