Millions of people love the game of chess, but most of them dont know how the game developed. Henry J. Greenberg, one of the worlds leading chess historians, reveals how chess has its origins in a game called Chaturanga, which was designed during the reign of the Gupta Dynasty to commemorate Chandragupta IIs victory over the Sakas and to ensure the continuation of peace. In this comprehensive history of the game, youll learn how: seeds for the origin of chess were planted during the flourishing of the Harappan civilization from 2,300 to 1900 B.C.; Chaturanga was specifically designed for the civilian population; rules were made so simple that even children could learn how to play; elephants play a critical role regarding when and why chess developed; Greenberg also explains how chess historians can be classified into four types: Archaeologists, Linguists, Sinologists, and Oxfordites. Learn the characteristics of each, what they disagree on, and whether their views about the origins of chess hold any validity. From the very beginnings of the game to Leonardo da Vincis invention of modern moves while living in Milan, Italy, youll be delighted with this comprehensive history of chess.

An impassioned look at games and game design that offers the most ambitious framework for understanding them to date. As pop culture, games are as important as film or television—but game design has yet to develop a theoretical framework or critical vocabulary. In Rules of Play Katie Salen and Eric Zimmerman present a much-needed primer for this emerging field. They offer a unified model for looking at all kinds of games, from board games and sports to computer and video games. As active participants in game culture, the authors have written Rules of Play as a catalyst for innovation, filled with new concepts, strategies, and methodologies for creating and understanding games. Building an aesthetics of interactive systems, Salen and Zimmerman define core concepts like "play," "design," and "interactivity." They look at games through a series of eighteen "game design schemas," or conceptual frameworks, including games as systems of emergence and information, as contexts for social play, as a storytelling medium, and as sites of cultural resistance. Written for game scholars, game developers, and interactive designers, Rules of Play is a textbook, reference book, and theoretical guide. It is the first comprehensive attempt to establish a solid theoretical framework for the emerging discipline of game design.

With the wide availability of the home computer, wargame enthusiasts (now numbering nearly half a million) regularly confront each other in action-packed simulated battles. This is the definitive all-in-one sourcebook on the new potentials and classic excitement of wargaming--one of America's fastest growing hobbies. 40 maps and charts.

Despite the advent and explosion of videogames, boardgames--from fast-paced party games to intensely strategic titles--have in recent years become more numerous and more diverse in terms of genre, ethos and content. The growth of gaming events and conventions such as Essen Spiel, Gen Con and the UK Games EXPO, as well as crowdfunding through sites like Kickstarter, has diversified the evolution of game development, which is increasingly driven by fans, and boardgames provide an important glue to geek culture. In academia, boardgames are used in a practical sense to teach elements of design and game mechanics. Game studies is also recognizing the importance of expanding its focus beyond the digital. As yet, however, no collected work has explored the many different approaches emerging around the critical challenges that boardgaming represents. In this collection, game theorists analyze boardgame play and player behavior, and explore the complex interactions between the sociality, conflict, competition and cooperation that boardgames foster. Game designers discuss the opportunities boardgame system designs offer for narrative and social play. Cultural theorists discuss boardgames' complex history as both beautiful physical artifacts and special places within cultural experiences of play.