3100 BC, Egypt: Senet

Senet is the oldest known board game, mentioned in the Book of the Dead and played on a 3x10 square board with pawns, throw-sticks, and counters. Historians believe that wealthy Egyptians would play this game in hopes of winning and earning the protection of the gods Ra, Thoth, and Osiris. Although the rules of the game are unknown, it is believed that Senet is similar to an Arab game called Hyena, where players race to the center of the board and capture their opponents (an early form of Pac-Man).

600 AD, India: Chess and checkers

Chess is thought to be a version of the Indian game, Shatranj, played on a 64-square board with the objective of either eliminating all of the opponents pieces or killing their king. The game was spread globally through the Silk Road as traders carried it with them. To make the game easier to play while traveling, traders tweaked the game to have discs instead of pawns that sit on the lines instead of squares, becoming an early form of checkers.

1100 AD, China and later Europe: Dominoes

While first created in China, the game was not popularized in Europe until the 1700s, when the French created a version in which players used the tiles as puzzle pieces to make certain patterns. Another early version of the game was traced to the Inuits in North America who made domino tiles out of bones.

1903, United States: The Landlord’s Game

Created by Lizzie Magie, the objective is to buy properties, railroads, and utilities across the board that has a jail and a “go” corner. Magie’s hope was to teach children about the unfair way monopolies were created through land grabbing. This game was later sold to the Parker Brothers, who rebranded it as Monopoly.

1974, United States: Dungeons and Dragons

D&D was the first role-playing board game, with cards of dwarves, elves, gnomes, and other magical creatures and a Dungeon Master who embark on different adventures through every game played. The game faced some opposition when religious moralists believed it encouraged witchcraft. In 2014, after the release of a fifth edition, its popularity skyrocketed to the point where therapists were using it with kids and adults to relieve stress.

2016, United States: Game Pigeon

A game developer by the name of Vitalii Zlotksii, created the game that would soon be embedded in all iPhones. Their team had learned about the possibility of creating iMessage apps in iOS 10, giving them the idea of creating a mobile game that would be engaging for all. This idea had been an evolved version of playing games with friends and family over email. This revolutionary game that took a few weeks to create would soon create a mass of people addicted. There are many games to choose from, including Cup Pong, Crazy Eights, Knockout, and Word Hunt.