Dicing with Destiny is the first part of a three-part documentary that we have recently been watching. The series; presented by Benjamin Woolley; teaches us about the history of games and how they have helped shape the games that we play today.
The first game Woolley talks about is the 'Stanway Game'. It was found in a spiritual leader's grave; this made Woolley speculate that it could have been used in a way to interact with spirits back in ancient Briton.
Another game Woolley talked about was 'Hazard', a simple game where you bet money on the outcome of a dice roll. Hazard was condemned by the church at the time, because dice were seen to be 'the work of the devil' because it was all down to luck.
Woolley also looked into the Hindi game of knowledge or enlightenment; this game is essentially what shaped 'Snakes and Ladders'. You could be favoured and travel up the board, or the opposite and fall down the board. you could even get stuck in the eternal loop of limbo.
It was an interesting watch; I've started to shape an understanding of where some of the games available nowadays came from.
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