Dicing With Destiny

We were shown the first of three episodes of a program called Games Britannia. It was about the origins of games such as Chess, Draughts and Backgammon as well as the history of ancient games such as Nine Men's Morris which is engraved in stone all over the country.

There was a section about how the Church didn't condone gambling as it was seen as the work of the devil. The church replaced dice with spinners in the late 18th century because the dice was seen to be affiliated with the devil. The church believes games should be played to pass the time and for fun.

There was also a section about the origins of snakes & ladders, which is derived from the game "Moksha Patam", a popular game in ancient India. It is known as the game of knowledge or the role of fate or karma. In Victorian England, 1892, Moksha Patam inspired the creation of snakes & ladders. Moksha Patam was meant to represent the quest of enlightenment although, unlike snakes & ladders, you could be removed from the competition by becoming trapped in the eternal loop of paradise. This game was created to pass the time and to be played while you are contemplating your life and its meaning although in modern western games we tend to lose interest quickly as we play games to win. That is why the "Exact Roll" mechanic has been removed from most western games.