Board games have been a source of amusement for children and adults for centuries. There is never a better time to play a board game than on a rainy afternoon or winter evening. Whether sharing a bowl of popcorn with friends while testing vocabulary skills or battling wits over Checkers, board games entertain and can be a source of learning for children.

The board game can be traced back to ancient times, as early as 3,000 B.C. Throughout history, games have reflected their societies, hopes and prejudices. The earliest games were a pleasant source of entertainment.  In the twenty-first century, technology has created a variety of options other than board games for our amusement. Television, video games, movies, theme parks, radio and computers can almost seem to overpower us. Yet, there is nothing like sitting down to a leisurely game.

For the children of the past, games were not just designed to entertain, but to teach.

Games, particularly designed for the young, were expected to have some moral instructional value. This is reflected in the first American board game, "The Mansion of Happiness," produced in 1843.  Anne W. Abbott, the daughter of a New England clergyman, created the game. The game used an eight-sided wooden top spinning device called a "teetotum." Abbott came up with the device so players could take turns and move about the board. Since dice were associated with gambling, dice could not be used with a board game.

Milton Bradley developed another game in 1860 called "The Checkered Game of Life." Once again, the game was both entertaining and inherently provided moral instruction to the players. Bradley also become instrumental in making various board games that would become enormously popular during the American Civil War.

He compiled a package of games called "Games for Soldiers." The package consisted of nine games, which were made of pasteboard. The light material made it easier for the soldier to carry the package in his pack. The nine games making up the package included chess, checkers, backgammon, five versions of dominoes and the Checkered Game of Life.

George Swinerton Parker created a game called "Banking" in 1883. This was the first game that rewarded the player for getting the most money. This was a significant switch from the moral and ethical perspective of past board games. Parker was to make his mark in the board game industry. In 1885, he established his game business in Salem, Massachusetts. Parker would revolutionize manufacturing techniques by creating the first rudimentary system of mass production. Previously manufactured board games had been constructed and colored individually by hand.

In the late nineteenth century, the game business became a family business. Parker’s brothers joined the company. In so doing, the company became Parker Brothers. The Parker brothers had a talent for designing new games to accompany the fads or trends of the day. An example would be the time of the Alaskan gold rush. The company produced a game entitled "Klondike," which allowed players to search for gold without leaving the safety and comfort of their homes.

Once society moved into the twentieth century, just having fun was an acceptable purpose for a board game. Board games began to turn into a highly profitable business.

In 1933, Charles Darrow would create the well-known game "Monopoly." Darrow would contact Parker Brothers, but they were not interested in the game. Darrow then approached Wanamaker’s in Philadelphia for the Christmas season. Upon hearing that Monopoly was being stocked, Parker Brothers rescinded their decline and history would be made. In the first year, the company sold more than one million sets of Monopoly.