A great many of the games we cite do not have an identifiable author or group of authors—or the exact origin of the game is in dispute by game historians. In these cases, the game is listed as "Traditional" and the approximate dates of origin are indicated, if known. Oftentimes, such games have rich historical evolutions, such as the board game Chutes and Ladders, which has striking similarities to games played in ancient Egypt, as well as to traditional games from India, Nepal, and Tibet. In these cases, we chose as the date of origin the first historical instance of a game that is recognizably similar to the game we cite. (In the case of Chutes and Ladders, for example, we use the date 1892: this is the publication date of F.H. Ayre's Snakes and Ladders, a game virtually identical to present-day Chutes and Ladders).
In deference to the typically collaborative process of game creation, individual designers are listed as the creator of a game only when a single designer or pair of designers created the entire game by themselves, or when a single designer is commercially credited with sole authorship, as is the case with many contemporary board games.
We often cite more than one version of a digital game that was produced in a series, such as Virtua Fighter and Virtual Fighter 4. In these cases, we list the game as a series but include only the date and creator of the first game in the series. Also, when important versions of a game appear in more than one medium (such as an arcade game that later became a console game), we list all of the relevant forms, with the original medium listed first.
In organizing the games by medium, we opted for very "broad stroke" categories, such as "Arcade game" or "Physical game." Some of the categories do overlap, but we grouped the games into clusters that seemed most conceptually useful for the sake of comparison. Our intention here is not to provide a detailed accounting or taxonomy of these games, but instead to give a general indication of the rich range of games that we mention and analyze in the course of our investigations. If you are inclined to research any of these games further, a list of references used in putting together the information in this index is included at the end.
Board game: In addition to games like Chess and Go—games that are literally played on a board—we include in this category games played on some kind of board-like structure, such as Battleship and Connect Four.
Book-based game: The book-based flying simulation Ace of Aces didn't fit into any other category, so we gave it its own. Other book-based games do exist, but are not mentioned in Rules of Play.
Card game: Some games in this category, such as Poker and Bridge, use a standard set of playing cards. Others, such as Magic: The Gathering, use specialized cards designed specifically for one game.
Computer game: This group includes games designed to be played on personal computers, from the venerable PDP-1 to present-day Macintosh and Windows machines. These games are played primarily on a single machine by a single player.
Console game: These games are played on game console machines that attach to a television, ranging from the Atari 2600 to today's Xbox, GameCube, and Playstation2.
Dice game: Games in this group are played primarily or exclusively with dice. They include gambling games like Craps and traditional family games like Pig and Yatzee. Additionally, we included the game of Roulette in this category, as it is a game based entirely on chance.
Handheld game: This category includes games played on a portable digital device such as a Game Boy or Palm Pilot. Electronic handheld devices that only play a single game, such as P.O.X., are also grouped here.
Icehouse game: Icehouse is a game system that uses colored plastic pyramids as the pieces for a great many different games. There were enough Icehouse games mentioned in Rules of Play that we included it as its own category.
Mobile game: Games in this group are played primarily by using a cell phone, whether sin-gle-player or multiplayer.
Physical game: This category includes games like Tag or Marbles in which the play of the game primarily involves physical movement and interaction. These games are less regulated than games included in the category Sport.
Role-playing game: These games are highly narrative experiences where the primary form of play involves players taking on imaginative personas. The classic Dungeons & Dragons is the prototypical example of this category of game. Live-action role-playing games such as Vampire: The Masquerade are also included here.
Social game: Social games are games in which the play consists primarily of social interaction between participants. Typically, these games have little or no material components, and include party games as diverse as Charades, Mafia, and Spin the Bottle.
Sport: The games in this category are physical games that are typically played as an organized, regulated sport—usually with very specialized equipment in a special space set aside for the game. In some cases, games listed as Sports can also constitute a leisure activity, such as Skiing.
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1000 Blank White Cards Nathan McQuillen, 1994 Social game |
Assassin Traditional, 1966 Role-playing game |
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20 Questions
Traditional Social game |
Asteroids
Atari, 1979 Arcade game; Console game |
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A.I.
Puppet Masters / Microsoft, 2001 Online game |
Atari Football
Atari, 1978 Arcade game |
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Ace of Aces
Alfred Leonardi, 1980 Book-based game |
Bad Dudes
Data East, 1988 Arcade game |
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Advanced Dungeons & Dragons (see Dungeons & Dragons)
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Backgammon
Traditional, circa 1600 Board game |
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Adventure
Will Crowther and Don Woods, 1975 Computer game |
Barbie Fashion Designer Mattel, 1996 Computer game |
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Adventure
Warren Robinett, 1980 Console game |
Baseball
Abner Doubleday, circa 1839 Sport |
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Age of Empires
Ensemble Studios, 1997 Computer game |
Basketball
James Naismith, 1891 Sport |
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Alleyway
Nintendo, 1989 Handheld game |
Battle for the Buccaneer Gold
Disney, 2001 Arcade game |
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Arm Wresting
Traditional Physical game |
Battlebots
Comedy Central, 1998 Sport / Television game show |
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Battleship
Milton Bradley, 1967 Board game Battlezone |
Breakout (series) Atari, 1976 Arcade game; Console game |
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Battlezone
Atari, 1980 Arcade game |
Boxing Traditional Sport |
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Bejeweled
Popcap Games, 2001 Online game |
Bridge
Traditional, circa 1885 Card game |
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Berzerk
Stern, 1980 Arcade game |
Bridge-Builder
Alex Austin, 2000 Computer game |
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Billiards
Traditional, circa 1500 Sport |
Bughouse
Traditional, circa 1965 Board game |
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Black & White Lionhead Studios, 2001 Computer game; Console game |
Bust-A-Groove Square Enix, 1998 Console game; Arcade game |
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Blackjack
Traditional, circa 1750 Card game |
Canasta
Traditional, circa 1945 Card game |
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Blob
New Games Movement, circa 1976 Physical game |
Candyland
Milton Bradley, 1949 Board game |
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Botfighers
It's Alive, 2001 Mobile game |
Can't Stop
Sid Sackson, 1980 Dice game |
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Bowling
Traditional, circa 1880 Sport |
Capture the Flag
Traditional Physical game |
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Car Wars (series) Chad Irby and Steve Jackson, 1982 Board game |
Chutes and Ladders
F. H. Ayres, 1892 Board game |
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The Card Game Traditional Social game |
Civilization (series) MicroProse, 1991 Computer game; Console game |
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Castle Wolfenstein Muse, 1981 Computer game |
Command and Conquer
Westwood Studios, 1995 Computer game |
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Catch the Dragon's Tail New Games Movement, circa 1976 Physical game |
Cool Boarders (series) Sony, 1996 Console game |
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Centipede Atari, 1980 Arcade game |
Cops and Robbers Traditional Physical game |
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Charades Traditional Social game |
Cosmic Wimpout
CQ Incorporated, circa 1975 Dice game |
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Chaturanga Traditional, circa 650 Board game |
Counter-Strike The Counter-Strike Team, 2000 Computer game |
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Checkers Traditional, circa 1500 Board game |
Craps Circa 1700 Dice game |
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Chess Traditional, circa 850 Board game |
Crash Bandicoot
Naughty Dog, 1996 Console game |
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Chinese Checkers
Ravensburger, 1892 Board game |
Cricket
Traditional, 1700 Sport |
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Croquet Traditional, circa 1830 Sport |
Donkey Kong Nintendo, 1981 Arcade game |
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Dactyl Niare Virtuality, 1993 Arcade game |
Don't Wake Daddy
Parker Brothers, 1992 Board game |
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Dance Dance Revolution Konami, 1998 Arcade game; Console game |
DOOM
id Software, 1993 Computer game |
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Defender Williams, 1980 Arcade game |
Dope Wars (originally Drug Wars) John Dell Computer game; Handheld game |
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Deus Ex
Ion Storm, 2000 Computer game; Console game |
Double Dragon
Taito, 1986 Arcade game |
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Diablo (series) Blizzard Entertainment, 1996 Computer game |
Draw and Kiss
Traditional, circa 1959 Social game |
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Dig-Dug Namco, 1982 Arcade game |
Driver: You are the Wheelman
Reflections, 1999 Console game |
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Diplomacy
Allan Calhammer, 1959 Board game |
Drome Racing Challenge gameLab, 2002 Online game |
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Dodge Ball
Traditional Physical game |
Duke Nuke 'Em 3D (series) 3D Realms, 1996 Computer game; Console game |
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Dominoes Traditional, circa 1850 Tile game |
Dungeon Siege
Gas Powered Games, 2002 Computer game |
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Dungeons & Dragons (series) Dave Arneson & Gary Gygax, 1973 Role-playing game |
Flashlight
Traditional, circa 1959 Social game |
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Earthball
New Games Movement, circa 1976 Physical Game |
FLUID
gameLab, 2002 Computer game |
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Easy Money
Milton Bradley, circa 1955 Board game |
Flux
Andrew Looney, 1997 Card game |
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Elemental
Team Elemental, unpublished Computer game |
Football
Walter Camp, 1879 Sport |
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Enchanted Forest
Michel Matsechoss and Alex Randolph, 1992 Board game |
Foursquare
Traditional Sport |
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Endurance Kissing
Traditional, circa 1959 Social game |
The Game of Life
John Conway, 1970 Puzzle; Computer game |
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Euchre
Traditional, circa 1860 Card game |
Gauntlet (series) Atari, 1985 Arcade game; Console game |
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EverQuest
Verant Interactive, 1999 Online game |
Gearheads R/GA Interactive, 1996 Computer game |
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Fencing
Traditional, circa 1670 Sport |
Gin Traditional, circa 1920 Card game |
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Final Fantasy (series) Square Enix, 1990 Console game |
Go Traditional, circa 2000 BCE Board game |
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Go Fish
Traditional, circa 1585 Card game |
Hide-And-Seek Traditional Physical game |
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Golf
Traditional, circa 1450 Sport |
Hollywood Squares
NBC, 1965 Television game show |
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Gnostica
John Cooper, 2001 Icehouse game |
House of the Dead
Sega, 1997 Arcade game; Console game |
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Gran Turismo (series) Ployphony Digital, 1998 Console game |
Ice Hockey
Traditional, circa 1850 Sport |
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Grand Theft Auto III (series) Rockstar North, 2001 Console game |
Icehouse
Andrew Looney and John Cooper, 1991 Icehouse game |
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GURPS: Generic Universal Role-Playing System Steve Jackson, circa 1986 Role-playing game system |
Illuminati
Steve Jackson, 1982 Board game |
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Gymnastics Traditional, 1896 Sport |
Jak & Daxter
Naughty Dog, 2001 Console game |
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Half-Life
Valve Software, 1998 Computer game; Console game |
James Bond 007 In Agent Under Fire
Electronic Arts, 2001 Console game |
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Hearts
Traditional, circa 1880 Card game |
Jeopardy NBC, 1964 Television game show |
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Hex Piet Hein, 1942 Board game |
Jet Grind Radio
Smilebit, 2000 Console game |
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Joust
Williams, 1982 Arcade game |
Mad Magazine Game
Parker Brothers, 1979 Board game |
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Junkbot (series) gameLab, 2001 Computer game |
Mafia
Traditional Social game |
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Kick the Can
Traditional Physical game |
Magic: The Gathering
Richard Garfield, 1993 Card game |
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Killer (see Assassin)
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Mah Jongg
Traditional, circa 1880 Tile game |
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Kriegspiel
Lt. von Reisswitz, 1824 Board game |
Majestic
Electronic Arts, 2001 Online game |
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The L Game
Edward DeBono, circa 1974 Board game |
Mancala
Traditional, circa 3000 BCE Board game |
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The Landlord's Game
Lizzie Magie, 1904 Board game |
Marathon (series) Bungie Software, 1994 Computer game |
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Little Max
Traditional Dice game |
Marbles
Traditional, circa 100 BCE Physical game |
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LOOP
gameLab, 2002 Computer game |
Mario Bros. (series) Nintendo, 1983 Arcade game; Console game; Handheld game |
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Lord of the Rings Board Game Reiner Knizia, 2000 Board game |
Martian Backgammon
Andrew Looney, 1997 Icehouse game |
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Mastermind Invicta, 1972 Board game |
Mother May I? Traditional Physical game |
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Max Payne 3D Realms, 2001 Computer game; Console game |
Mousetrap
Ideal, 1963 Board game |
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Mega Man (series) Capcom, 1987 Console game; Handheld game |
Ms. Pac-Man
Namco, 1982 Arcade game; Console game |
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Memory Traditional Card game |
Musical Chairs
Traditional Physical game |
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Metal Gear Solid (series) KCEJ, 1998 Console game |
Myst
Cyan, 1993 Computer game |
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Metroid (series) Nintendo, 1985 Console game |
Myth: The Fallen Lords Bungie Software, 1997 Computer game |
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Milles Bournes Parker Brothers, 1954 Card game |
NBA Courtside (series) Left Field Productions, 1998 Console game |
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Missile Command Atari, 1980 Arcade game; Console game |
NBA Live (series) Electronic Arts, 1995 Console game; Computer game |
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Monopoly
Charles B. Darrow, 1933 Board game |
NeoPets NeoPets Inc, 1999 Online game |
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Mortal Kombat (series) Midway, 1992 Arcade game; Console game |
Netrunner
Wizards of the Coast, 1995 Card game |
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Neverwinter Nights
Bioware, 2002 Computer game; Online game |
Pick-Up Sticks Traditional Physical game |
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Night Driver Atari, 1976 Arcade game |
Pictionary
Rob Angel, 1986 Board game |
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Oddworld (series) Oddworld Inhabitants, 1997 Console game; Computer game |
Pig
Traditional Dice Game |
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Olympic Decathlon
Traditional, 1896 Sport |
Pilotwings
Nintendo, 1990 Console game |
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Once Upon a Time
Richard Lambert, Andrew Rilstone, and James Wallis, 1993 Card game |
Ping Pong (see Table Tennis)
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Othello
Lewis Waterman, 1888 Board game |
Pinochle
Traditional, circa 1900 Card game |
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P.O.X.
Hasbro, 2001 Handheld game |
Planetfall
Steve Meretsky / Infocom, 1983 Computer game |
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Pac-Man
Namco, 1980 Arcade game; Console game |
Pokémon
Nintendo, 1998 Handheld game; Console game; Card game |
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Parappa the Rapper
Interlink, 1997 Console game |
Poker
Traditional, circa 1820 Card game |
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Pass the Orange
Traditional, circa 1959 Social game |
Pong
Atari, 1972 Arcade game; Console game; Computer game |
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Populous: The Beginning Take-Two Interactive, 1998 Computer game |
Scrabble Alfred M. Butts, 1948 Board game |
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Powerstone (series) Capcom, 1999 Console game |
Seaman
Vivarium, 2000 Console game |
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Quake (series) id Software, 1996 Computer game; Online game; Console game |
Secret of Monkey Island (series) LucasArts, 1990 Computer game |
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Racquetball
Joe Sobek, 1949 Sport |
Settlers of Catan
Klaus Teuber, 1995 Board game |
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RAMbots
Kory Heath, 2001 Icehouse game |
Shenmue (series) Sega, 2000 Console game |
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Risk
Albert Lamorisse, 1959 Board game |
Silent Hill (series) Konami, 1999 Console game |
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Robotron 2084
Williams, 1982 Arcade game |
Sim City (series) Maxis, 1989 Computer game |
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Rock-Paper-Scissors
Traditional Physical game |
Sim Copter
Maxis, 1996 Computer game |
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Roulette
Traditional, circa 1900 Dice game |
SimLife Maxis, 1992 Computer game |
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Rugby Traditional, circa 1800 Sport |
Simon Says Traditional Social game |
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The Sims (series) Maxis, 2000 Computer game; Console game |
Spybot: The Nightfall Incident
gameLab, 2002 Computer game |
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SiSSYFiGHT 2000
Word.com, 2000 Online game |
SSX (series) Electronic Arts, 2000 Console game |
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Skiing Traditional, circa 1880 Sport |
Stand Up New Games Movement, circa 1976 Physical game |
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Soccer
Traditional, circa 1850 Sport |
Starcraft
Blizzard Entertainment, 1998 Computer game |
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Softball
Traditional, circa 1930 Sport |
State of Emergency
VIS Entertainment, 2002 Console game |
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Solitaire (many variations) Traditional, circa 1600 Card game |
Stay Alive
Milton Bradley, 1971 Board game |
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Space Invaders
Taito 1978 Arcade games |
Stealth Chess
Dice Corp, 1997 Board game |
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Spacewar!
Steve Russell, 1962 Computer game |
Stratego
Milton Bradley, 1961 Board game |
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Spin the Bottle
Traditional Social game |
Street Fighter (series) Capcom, 1987 Arcade game; Console game |
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Spy Vs. Spy (series) Kemko, 1986 Computer game; Console game |
Sumo Wrestling
Traditional, circa 712 Sport |
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Super Breakout (see Breakout)
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Tempest
Atari, 1981 Arcade game |
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Super Mario (see Mario Bros.)
Amusement Vision, 2001 GameCube |
Tennis
Walter Wingfield, 1873 Sport |
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Survivor
CBS, 2000 Television game show |
Tetris
Alexy Pajnitov, circa 1986 Computer game; Handheld game; Console game |
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Suspicion
Eric Zimmerman, 1995 Card game |
Thief (series) Looking Glass Studios, 1998 Computer game |
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System Shock (series) Looking Glass Studios, 1994 Computer game; Console game |
Thin Ice Jacob Davenport, circa 2001 Icehouse game |
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Table Tennis
J. Jaques & Son, circa 1890 Sport |
Thunderstorm
Traditional Dice game |
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Tag Traditional Physical game |
Tiddlywinks Joseph Assheton Fincher, 1888 Physical game |
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Tanktics
Chris Crawford, 1978 Computer game |
Time Crisis Namco, 1996 Arcade game; Console game |
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Tekken Namco, 1995 Arcade game; Console game |
Tomb Raider (series) Core Design, 1996 Console game; Computer game |
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Telephone
Traditional Social game |
Tony Hawk Pro Skater (series) Neversoft Entertainment, 1999 Console game |
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Total Annihilation
Cavedog Entertainment, 1997 Computer game |
Vampire
New Games Movement, circa 1976 Physical game |
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Toys
Eric Zimmerman, 2000 Social game |
Vampire: The Masquerade White Wolf, 1992 Role-playing game |
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Trivial Pursuit
Chris Haney and Scott Abbot, 1981 Board game |
Verbal Tennis
Traditional Social game |
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Twister
Charles Foley and Neil Rabens, 1966 Physical game |
Virtua Fighter (series) Sega, 1993 Arcade game; Console game |
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Ultima (series) Richard Garriot / Origin, 1980 Computer game; Online game |
Volcano Kristin Looney, 2002 Icehouse game |
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Um Jammer Lammy Sony, 1999 Console game |
Volleyball
William G. Morgan, 1895 Sport |
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Universal Square
Uri Tzaig, 1996 Sport |
War
Traditional Card game |
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Uno
Merle Robbins, 1971 Card game |
Warcraft: Orcs and Humans (series) Blizzard Entertainment, 1994 Computer game |
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Unreal (series) Epic Megagames, 1998 Computer game; Console game |
Warhammer (series) Games Workshop, 1983 Board game |
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Up the River Manfred Ludwig, 1988 Board game |
Who Wants to be a Millionaire
Celador, 1998 Television game show |
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Wipeout (series) Psygnosis, 1996 Console game | |
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Wolfenstein 3D id Software, 1992 Computer game | |
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Wreckless: The Yakuzi Missions Bunkasha Games, 2002 Console game | |
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Yatzee Milton Bradley, 1956 Dice game | |
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You Don't Know Jack (series) Jellyvision, 1995 Computer game; Online game | |
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Zarcana John Cooper, 2001 Icehouse game | |
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Zaxxon
Sega, 1982 Arcade game | |
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Zelda (series) Nintendo, 1987 Console game; Handheld game | |
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Zendo Kory Heath, 2001 Icehouse game | |
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Zork (series) Marc Blank & Dave Lebling / Infocom, 1980 Computer game | |
Kent, Stephen L.. The Ultimate History of Video Games (Roseville, CA:Prima Publishing, 2001)
Parlett, David. The Oxford Dictionary of Card Games (New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1992).
Parlett, David. The Oxford History of Board Games (New York: OxfordUniversity Press, 1999).
Scarpone, Desi. Board Games (Atglen, PA: Schiffer Publishing, 1995).