By Eliana Miller
People of all ages have evolved from finding fun outside in the sun to hunkering down low to sit in front of a screen. While people have not completely eliminated the idea of board games and outside play, interest has drastically lowered. Most kids ages 8-12 spend roughly 4-6 hours on some sort of screen, while teenagers spend even more time at about 9 hours daily, according to AACAP (American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry). Though board games are still used and enjoyed today in schools and at home, there is a clear difference in preference of one vs the other.
Board games have been around for ages… literally. The Royal Game of Ur has been around for about 4,600 years and was found in ancient Mesopotamia. According to The British Museum, around 177 BC the rules were written down on a tablet and deciphered. The goal of the game was simple: get your piece to the other end of the board before your opponent. This simple concept is used in lots of board games and video games even now. For example, the board game Sorry!
As more and more board games emerged, we eventually hit a breaking point for the world’s first video game: Tennis for Two. On October 18, 1958, according to USA Today, the first ever video game was shown in the Brookhaven National Laboratory. However, while this video game technology was revolutionary, the main games we know today and love started to show around the 1970s. So, what caused the switch between board games to video games if board games have been so reliable? From the Crimson Crier News, according to Neal Elliott, video games have the upperhand on exploration, graphics, quality, and, finally, preparation and clean up—they’re just a button click away. Some of the most popular video games people have switched from board games to is games such as Minecraft and a variety of shooter games. A poll at BHS asking if video games or board games were preferred showed that out of 36 votes, video games were more preferred with 23 votes, leaving board games with 13 votes. Overall, the move to video games has people left with more options of play.
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