HT Games
No single invention date exists. Games predate recorded history and written language.
| Era | Evidence | Games |
|---|---|---|
| ~5000 BCE | Dice (astragali — knucklebones) | Chance games, divination |
| ~3500 BCE | Board + pieces (Egypt, Mesopotamia) | Senet, Mehen, Royal Game of Ur |
| ~2600 BCE | Standardized boards in graves | Backgammon ancestors |
| ~600 CE | Chaturanga (India) | Chess ancestor |
| 9th Century | Playing cards (China, Tang Dynasty) | Money-suited cards → Ganjifa → European decks |
| 1800s | Commercial board games (US/UK) | Mansion of Happiness, Checkered Game of Life |
| 1958 | "Tennis for Two" (oscilloscope) | First video game |
| 1972 | Pong (arcade) | Commercial video game industry |
Games weren't "invented" once — they co-evolved with human cognition. Every culture independently developed: dice, boards, racing games, strategy games, gambling, roleplay. The forms change; the impulse is constant.