War and
Strategy
Today, strategy
games, or sometimes war games, are more commonly associated with
video games such as Red Alert or WarCraft. However, way before
the advent of video games in present times, strategizing has
been used in board games. If fact, it can be traced back to the
mid-2000 B.C. with board games like Go.
Some people may
ask why strategy games are more associated with war games. The
analogy can be asserted by history. War and strategy go hand in
hand. A general who cannot strategize well will lose his battles
and suffer other considerable losses.
For example,
the aforementioned game of Go is a virtual microcosm of a
battle, or even a war. Several scholars have theorized that the
game Go came from Chinese generals and tribal warlords who used
the pieces of stone to make a visual representation of their
attacking positions. They, in turn, could map out what will
happen in the battlefield.
The correlation
of war and strategy is especially evident in the game of chess.
All pieces hold true military significance at the time of the
game’s creation, which was around the 6th century A.D. Checkers
is also patterned on strategy and war board games, utilizing the
player’s quick-wittedness to overcome and defeat the opponent.
Other games
that fall under this category are backgammon, Stratego, Game of
the Generals, Battleship, and many more.
Investors
and Murderers
Strategy board
games have also evolved into more placid games. One great
example is Monopoly. A game of real estate, investing, and many
more is considered as the most popular board game in the world.
Despite the fact that the player’s pace is controlled by the
dice, it still needs a great deal of strategizing in order to
overcome the opponent. This is where smart investing, and at
times luck, comes in—much like in real life. By strategizing
with a business sense, the player can easily ruin their
opponents’ finances.
Clue is another
game that demands strategizing. Players need to find the
murderer among them. In this dizzying and confusing game, a
player needs to outsmart everyone to know who the real murderer
is. But lies, secrecy and confusion can easily leave players
scratching their heads, until, of course, they are killed.
Thinking ahead and speculating, like the rules of strategy, can
definitely help the player.
There are a lot
of great board games out there that require strategizing. The
problem with today is that people are now more drawn into the
video game types. Classic strategy board games like chess or
checkers are actually more challenging to the mind. Contemporary
ones influence interaction between family and friends. Video
games don’t exactly encourage conversation, so try strategy
board games more often.
