How Your Favorite Board Games Mirror the Real World

Have you ever noticed how some games feel like a job? You are managing resources, trading with neighbors, and trying to build the biggest empire. That is not by accident. Board games have always been a mirror for what is happening in the world outside the box. PlayAllEvening.com looks at this through a historical lens, explaining how the rise of mercantilism in the real world made its way into the rules of Backgammon. When people started trading across oceans, their games started reflecting that shift toward risk and reward.

It is fascinating to see how the ethics of an era get baked into the rules. Take the Victorian era, for example. Back then, games were often about