during the Great Depression can be traced back to a French variation on billiards, bagatelle, which was played at the turn of the eighteenth century during the reign of Louis XIV. Indeed, it seems that every new technological advance brings with it some new way to play: the coin-operated pinball machines that first achieved widespread popularity in the U.S.
Archaeologists have unearthed board games (similar to chess) that date back to ancient Mesopotamia, and over four thousand years later, we have not lost our taste for diversion. Games are a fundamental part of the human experience, played in some form by cultures around the world and throughout history.
