UW displays collection of board games from 18th, 19th centuries at Memorial Library
UW displays collection of board games from 18th, 19th centuries at Memorial Library
UW displays collection of board games from 18th, 19th centuries at Memorial Library
By Akhilesh Peddi
February 22, 2024
Summary
"From Jan. 23 to Aug. 2, the University of Wisconsin Special Collections presents their first ever educational board games exhibition titled "'Most Agreeable & Rational Recreation': Two Centuries of Educational Board Games.
Inspiration for the exhibit comes from the excitement she saw students show toward archived games in general and especially board games previously curated by UW Special Collections, Rider said.
Students were specifically interested in a board game about a female reporter from the 1970s who traveled the world, Rider said.
The rise in interest surrounding the materials in the exhibit is because board games have always been an interesting part of society, according to Rider.
"You want to play them. You want to understand who designed them, how they got a patent for a game, how you protect your design. How do the game producers advertise? They express core values and concerns of society." Many games in the exhibition showcase connections to science, colonization, religion and literature.
Apart from conveying their own story of society, board games also hold valuable information of interest to other fields, Rider said.
"A lot of effort and money goes into making board games attractive and not all games were invented for everyone," Rider said."
Reference
Peddi, A. (2024, February 22). UW displays collection of board games from 18th, 19th centuries at Memorial Library. The Badger Herald. https://badgerherald.com/artsetc/2024/02/22/uw-displays-collection-of-board-games-from-18th-19th-centuries-at-memorial-library/