Entertainment trends change with the seasons.
New games seem to come out almost every week, but there are some classics with era-defying popularity. It’s estimated that humans have been playing games in various forms since the first civilisations existed, more than five thousand years ago. Some of the oldest games have been adapted for a modern audience, too.
Whether you’re a seasoned pro player or you’ve just started playing online, it’s always worth knowing a thing or two about the most popular games of all time.
Four of the most popular games in history
- Chess
The beginnings of chess can be traced back to hundreds of years ago.
Even though the origins of chess can’t be accurately traced back to one source, ancient game pieces have been found in several countries. From Russia and China to Central Asia and Pakistan, it’s clear that closely related games were being played across the globe.
Chess is typically a two-player game. In online versions, the computer can be an opponent. Each player takes turns to try and ‘checkmate’ their opponent, which means their king is in ‘check’ and has no possible escape route on the board. Like many other world-renowned games, chess is popular online on various platforms and formats.
- Bingo
Bingo arrived on British and American shores in the early twentieth century, and was originally played at festivals, carnivals, and private parties too. Over the course of the next five decades, in-person bingo soared in popularity until it peaked in the 1960s and 70s. Just fifty years ago, bingo halls dominated the streets of almost every town in the UK.
It works a bit like a lottery, where each player gets a ticket to see if the ‘caller’ announces any numbers on their ticket. Some bingo halls still exist, but most players today simply head online to be in with the chance of winning some great prizes. Anyone can join a great community of players by simply setting up an online bingo account.
- Tetris
First developed in 1985, Tetris is a relatively young game compared to the rest – but it still boasts a strong standing when it comes to international popularity.
In Tetris, players must rotate and reorganise blocks as they fall to try and clear various levels. Only one person in the world is rumoured to have beaten Tetris after winning the highest level of Nintendo’s version of the game.
The aim of the game is to prevent the blocks from building up to the top of the playing area. It’s available on almost any form of modern gaming technology, from computers to consoles. There are plenty of free browser versions available for beginners to try out, too.
- Solitaire
Solitaire is a single-player game that starts with a whole deck of cards. The aim is to get rid of all cards by building the deck into a suit sequence from aces through to the kings. It’s thought to have originated in the Baltic countries in the eighteenth century, and was used as a form of fortune-telling.
The dawn of the modern-day desktop computer only increased the popularity of this game, as it was frequently installed as standard in almost every version of Windows. The game is a clever combination of mathematical and strategic thinking, along with quick decision-making.
