Game Design Origins - Game Design Essentials - page 14

The Milton Bradley Company was acquired by Hasbro in 1984 and later pro-
duced Simon , shown in Figure 1.7. The game, based on the simple children's
game Simon Says , was one of the first electronic games on the market. The
popularity of the game—a craze, actually—swept the country.

FiGuRe 1.7 Simon was an early popular electronic game.

As the numbers and types of games increased, the need to build into them
teaching mechanisms like an emphasis on good morals decreased. Games were
becoming a staple to help enjoy leisure time, either individually or in groups,
especially family time together.

today's average
age range of gam-
ers,12-55, covers
about half the popu-
lation of the United
States. Game pro-
duction will continue
growing to meet
the demands of that
significant market.

playing at War
Many cultures developed games as a way to train armies for war. In China, during
the Ming Dynasty (1368-1644) and Qing Dynasty (1644-1911), the games Cuju
and Daqiu (strike ball) were developed as sports requiring physical skills along
with wushu (martial art), wrestling, hunting, and archery. Of course, leisurely
pastimes were sought by the general population; elaborate sets of backgammon
were also created, crafted from jade (Qing Dynasty), but games that taught fight-
ing skills were extremely popular.
The origins of jousting can be traced back to gladiator combat during early
Roman times and was played by the Mongols, who enjoyed tests involving games
on horseback. Jousting grew to its most popular form during the age of chivalry
in the Middle Ages. The word joust is derived from the Roman word juxtare,
meaning “to meet together.” These games were a favorite spectator sport and
allowed knights an opportunity to improve their fighting skills.