This is a golden age for board games. More people are playing games such as Chess, Monopoly, Risk, and Scrabble than ever before! According to market analysts the NPD Group, the global market for physical games grew by 12 percent in 2018—not many global markets are expanding that quickly. Players old and new are discovering the joys of tabletop games, but how did these games, and so many others, come to be invented?

Discover the compelling stories behind the creation of the board games we know and love to play--stories that have touched every aspect of people's lives through the ages. Our journey starts 5,000 years ago and continues right up to the present day. More than 100 games are explored chronologically, from the most ancient to the most modern, allowing you to see how similar types of games relate to each other and revealing the fascinating secrets of origin and lasting appeal