Final post: board game humor

                  



         This post in a video clip from the Jimmy Fallon Tonight show where he talks the worst board games ever created. I found the clip to be very funny and I wanted to share it for entertainment and also because it show how some game companies are really going to any extreme just to make money. I believe board games and cards game as well are a very important way of uniting family or cultures, but I also believe that sometimes game companies  take advantage of that to market their products.

Top 10 Branded Board Games and my experiences with board games

              Of the top 10 brand board games mentioned in the video clip I grew up playing Monopoly, Life, Battleship, Chutes and Ladders, and Scrabble. My favorite which I mentioned in a previous post was Monopoly because it was the most enjoyable for me. I remember playing these board games with my older sister and friends or with my family on rainy days or on Sunday afternoons. Chutes and Ladders I remember playing as a child in Mexico with my cousins because the game was also very popular over there. In elementary school  one time by fifth grade teacher had us play the game battleship as a way to understand the x and y axes of a graph and as a way to teach us how to plot coordinates.

              Overall, I think board games are very useful tools to enhance peoples' knowledge. Many of the games I grew up playing or play today are able to teach the players something useful for real life. From the game monopoly I learned about investment in property and taxes. From the game Life I learned about car investments, health insurance, and family expenses. Through the game Scrabble I improved my vocabulary and spelling. In essence all of these games have taught me something from a very young age and all of these lessons I have used now as an adult.

                   

cultural history of playing cards

       In one of my previous post I talked about how the different editions of the board game Monopoly
   were influenced by the different cultures. For this post I found the same idea to be true for the creation of a deck of cards. Historically playing cards have been around since the 14th century and since then these traditional deck of cards have been used in gambling, games, fortune telling, advertising, and in artwork all around the world.
         Cultural diversity led to the various printing techniques and the creation of different stereotypical card designs. For instance, in some areas of Europe some packs had symbols of animals, flowers, and everyday objects while in other regions the packs had images of kings, queens, and attendants printed on them. What is quite intriguing is that within one region or culture the various political or traditional ideas is what led to the various printed card decks.
Like with the game Bingo it seems that in the 14th century card packs spread in popularity to other
Countries and in the process the printing techniques and images changed to assimilate with the local culture.
         
Today playing cards are used to play games like:

- Blackjack (U.S)
-Truco (Brazil)
- Mus (Spain)
-Ocho Locos ( Puerto Rico)
- Dai Fugo (Japan)
- Escobar de 15 (Uruguay)
-Brag (UK)





Argentina


Kenya


Brazilian


Iran

link to page

Mancala: Traditional African mathematical game.

 

Background/History
       
             Mancala is a traditional African board game which is played in various forms throughout African and other countries. There are hundreds of different versions of the game played. According to the literature, Mancala is a game that is enjoyed by everyone in Africa from royalty to villagers of all ages. The game has been a part of the culture and family traditions for many Africans. The game is played not only has a form of entertainment, but it has also been used as a ceremonial right of passage in some villages.


Reflection
              The concept on the game is to be the player with the most marbles or pieces in your bin or Kalama. Mancala is a two player game and the only thing needed to play the game is a Mancala board ( wooded board with carved out bins) and 48 playing pieces. What I found interesting is that in many African villages the children and even adults play the game by digging small holes in the ground and they use small rocks or pebbles as playing pieces. It was very moving to see how these children used any materials they have to enjoy a game that is so tied to their cultural history. Seeing the images below sparked my curiosity to find out how the American version of the game is being sold in the U.S. I found out that in places like WalMart and ToysRus the game is sold for 10-12 dollars. I personally thought that to be interesting and a bit unjust for the children who can't afford to make or buy the game board and instead use their imaginations to play the game, while in the U.S big game company's are making money of the "Mancala game"  that is really very different from the culturally traditional version played in Africa.

American Advertised Versions of Mancala

 

 

Enculturation of MONOPOLY

    
        If you were asked to remember a few of the board games you played during your childhood, with friends or on family night, what do you think would come to mind? Well maybe some of the games that you would think of would be Checkers, Life, Scrabble.... oh and of course MONOPOLY.
The reason I ask this question is because these are some of the games I grew up playing, but my favorite by far was the board game Monopoly.
           Monopoly I think is one of the classic board games in American culture but it is far from exclusive to American culture now with so many editions that have been created in various languages and specific to different countries. I believe it is very interesting how the original version of Monopoly has been adapted in many parts of the world in countries such as France and Malaysia. This board game is a great example of how play can break cultural boundaries and become a common thing for people of all backgrounds to share. The game board of Monopoly does vary in appearance edition by edition and this is greatly influenced by the culture is representative of. For example, the French edition, instead of having places like Park Place or Boardwalk, instead they have places significant to France and the currency used in the game I also different. The various versions of the game are largely influenced by cultures and even the other version like the Star Wars edition or the One Direction edition are also influenced by fan cultures or people from all over the world that share the love for a band or for a movie series etc...    

Italian Card - SCOPA

              In my last post I talked about a board game called Keep It Cool which brought people from diverse backgrounds together in one table in a game. The purpose of our blog is to expose people to the diversity in play and to different games from other cultures. In this post I wanted to concentrated on exposing people to information about a game from another culture other. SCOPA, is a very traditional card game in Italian culture. While reading about this card game I thought it was very interesting to learn that this card game is so popular in the culture that most people in Italy has played this card game at least once in their life. This card game is a symbol of Italian culture and the deck of cards has  culture influenced images printed on them.
          Of what I learned the objective of the game is to get the highest number of points by capturing cards throughout the game which will calculate the number of points. The game can be played with 2-4 players or in two teams of two players.

Keep It Real Game: The Ideal Diversity Tool

         The mission of our blog states how play can unite people from various cultures and backgrounds. In my quest for finding a perfect example of a single board game that could unite people with different cultures I found this Keep It Real Game.  This diversity game manufactured by Trance4mation Games LLC is very interesting because it brings people from all ethnic background together in one game and it helps open the minds of the players to other perspectives and ideas. The video below shows college students playing the game and their experiences with the game. The questions asked in the board game are very culture based questions and they really spark conversation and sharing of ideas. Straight from the manufacture's webpage, some of the questions in the game are:

-What other culture fascinates you? Why?
-Why do you think there is racism?
-Do you feel comfortable in your own skin? Explain.
- Tell us about two of the best attributes of your race, and two of the worst attributes of your race.
- What percentage of people do you think judge others by the color of their skin?

         After watching this video and reading more about the game I really think that Keep It Real is more than just a simple board game, but rather it is a tool that unites people and changes perspectives. I would really like to play the game one day because I think it can be an eye opener. Below is the link to the game's official page where you can find more information.



keep it real

The cultural diversity of Bingo

Introduction/History of Bingo

Hello everyone I am Melissa Flores and my category of play that I am contributing information about is board and card games around the world. This category is quite interesting because there are many card and board games that are similar, but have been adapted into various cultures in a different way. A great example of this is traditional American Bingo and the Mexican version called "Loteria" Before I begin discussing some keys differences between the two versions, it is first important to mention some of the historical facts about this widely known game. First, where was bingo invented? Well according to an article published by South West News Service (an independent UK news source) bingo is historically traced back to Italy where it derives from an Italian lottery game called ‘Lo Giuoco del Lotto D’Italia” which has been played in Italy since the 1530’s. Also mentioned in the article, the game was introduced to France in the 1770’s and later spread to the UK. The traditional American version of the game became popular in U.S carnivals in the 1920’s. What I find interesting is that the American bingo we so popularly play today was adapted from other known versions from Europe countries. And in that same way American bingo was adapted in Mexico and is called “Loteria”, the concept of the game has remained almost the same yet it has been alternated by cultures throughout the world.

American Bingo  

To play the American version of bingo you need a set of 75 balls with a number 1-75 on each ball, a ball cage or machine, playing cards that display the letters B-I-N-G-O at the top and a number 1-75 in each box in the card with the exception of the middle box which is a “free” space, and you would need plastic chips as markers or a marker pen. The game consist of someone to use the ball cage to randomly generate a ball at a time with a number and a letter from bingo (for example B7 or G52) and the players mark the boxes on their card that constant the numbers called. The gist of the game is to get a row or line of five numbers marked and the first person or people to yell bingo to win the round. In order to have a valid win the line could be vertical, horizontal, or diagonal.

 

Loteria/ Mexican Bingo

            The game of loteria is like American bingo, a game of chance. To play loteria you need the game kit that comes with a deck of 54 cards with a different images, significant of Mexican culture, printed on each card with a corresponding number from 1-54 printed on each card. The game kit also includes large game board cards that have 24 images printed on them randomly of the respective 54 images on the deck of cards. You would then use just need any small items as markers, it is common for people in Mexico to use uncooked pinto beans or dry corn kernels called “maiz” as markers on their game boards. To play the game one person is chosen the card reader and this person is in charge of calling a card at a time of the deck of shuffled cards. The players need to mark the images called on the game board until they fill the entire card or the pattern chosen at the start of the round. In loteria unlike in American bingo the 5 in a line is not only way to play, in loteria players jointly can choose a different specific card pattern to play each. For example, as a group for round one all the players can agreed that to win they have to fill all four corners of the card and in that case for that round the first player to mark all four corners on his or hers card wins and shouts “Loteria”. For round two they players as a group might agree that for that round the person who marks all the outer boxes on their game board wins and so on.

 

Experience Playing both Versions

            In my experience playing both version I personally enjoyed Loteria better because the rounds were shorter and the anticipation to win seemed more intense. The comparison between these two versions of the same game show how culture has a great effect on the adaptation of traditions in this case games from other areas or cultures. Today there are many different version of bingo in different countries and the rules and game are a representation of the nation or culture.