Related Advancement
Game Design and Scouting Heritage merit badges
Games Through History – Egyptian hieroglyphs from 5200 b.c. show a rock throwing game that is the predecessor to bocce and bowling. Here are some other dates of interest:
Types of Games
One of the most obvious ways to categorize games is by medium or form of a game. Newspapers, magazines, and books are different printed media. In the same way, games can be described by the shape they take and the way players interact with them.
Physical Games and Sports – Ball games and sports are physical games, as are other games like capture the flag. They are typically competitive. These games involve athletic activities and are played with special equipment like balls, nets, and sticks. Generally, the gameplay revolves around one or more specific physical actions and rewards players who most skillfully perform those actions.
Board Games – Board games involve everything from Candyland to chess. In some, players compete to claim one another’s game pieces. In others, they try to conquer territory. In still others, they try to get from one point on the board to another.
Card Games – Countless games can be played with an ordinary deck of playing cards, of course. But card games can also be played with special decks like those used in collectible card games.
Party Games – Because they are meant for larger social situations, party games emphasize interaction between players and typically involve some form of creativity. Drawing, acting, singing, and giving word clues are all common activities in party games.
Pen-and-Paper Role-Playing Games (RPGs) – RPGs are best described as interactive storytelling. Players assume the roles of distinct characters and take action based on their characters’ capabilities. Typically, these capabilities increase over time as the players practice skills, acquire knowledge, or gain equipment.
Electronic Games – Electronic games present information to players through video screens and audio signals. Players interact with the games through electronic sensors. Buttons, control sticks, and computer mice are common inputs, but newer technologies include touchscreens, sensors that respond to physical motion, and cameras that detect the position and movements of each player. Electronic games are limited by the game hardware and fall into several categories: personal computer games, console games, games for mobile devices, and Internet games.