It’s All A Game is a book about the history of the board game and features a lot of fun games and looks into details about why the games were created and why they have been such a staple in households for so many years. My favorite board game is Monopoly so reading more about that one and how it helped prisoners escape the Nazis was pretty interesting. There were a lot of games I have played featured as well as some that I had never heard of mentioned in the book as well. It goes without saying that this book was a FUN read and if you have any interest in games you might want to check it out!
I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review, I was not otherwise compensated.
About the Book
Board games have been with us longer than even the written word. But what is it about this pastime that continues to captivate us well into the age of smartphones and instant gratification?
In It’s All a Game, British journalist and renowned games expert Tristan Donovan opens the box on the incredible and often surprising history and psychology of board games. He traces the evolution of the game across cultures, time periods, and continents, from the paranoid Chicago toy genius behind classics like Operation and Mouse Trap, to the role of Monopoly in helping prisoners of war escape the Nazis, and even the scientific use of board games today to teach artificial intelligence how to reason and how to win. With these compelling stories and characters, Donovan ultimately reveals why board games have captured hearts and minds all over the world for generations.