Description

‘The best book on games I’ve read in years’ G.T. KARBER, the number one Sunday Times bestselling author of MURDLE

‘Clare is a fabulous tour guide through the history of table games’ Tom Brewster, presenter of Shut Up & Sit Down

Why is playing games a universal human instinct?
Why did the same games evolve across wildly different civilisations?
And how can those games make your life happier, healthier and more fulfilled?

The history of board games is really the history of human civilisation. Through it we see how our species has learned to live with one another, make deals, take on different roles and manage the ups and downs of luck.

In this entertaining and thought-provoking look at games through the ages, Tim Clare explores the legal highs of a good dice roll, the thrills of a predatory race game and the tactile pleasures of the games that age with us through our lives to discover how, through play, we become fully ourselves.

Drawing on Roman anti-cheating devices, organised crime card syndicates and the combative domestic bonding ritual of Monopoly, The Game Changers explains why games are more popular now than ever, and how playing them helps us learn to be better losers, make smarter decisions and become more human.

Publisher Review

Brilliant and hilarious. The best book on games I’ve read in years — G.T. KARBER, #1 Sunday Times bestselling author of MURDLE A deep, poetic dive into game-playing and its role in human society and mental health. Table-top games are examined and celebrated, from dice to Monopoly to Pokemon — JANICE HALLETT, Sunday Times bestselling author of The Appeal Let me tell you, this book is a love letter. It’s infectious — IVAN BRETT from THE TRAITORS Tim Clare is a fabulous tour guide through the history of table games . . . Rich with enticing origin stories [The Game Changers] has a phenomenally broad scope . . . Exceptional — TOM BREWSTER, Shut Up & Sit Down Digs into all sorts of unexpected corners and startling histories, always coming back to the real physical and emotional experiences of play. It’s an absolute delight to read, charming and chatty, overflowing with insight into why we love games, and beautifully researched, with anecdotes ranging from the familiar to the forgotten and everywhere in between — HOLLY GRAMAZIO A delightful love letter to tabletop games and the joy of play, from ancient times to today, with plenty of poignant, heartfelt turns. Bask in it! — MATT FORBECK, New York Times-bestselling author of MARVEL ENCYCLOPEDIA Praise for Coward: Fascinating, thought-provoking, vulnerable and generous — CATHY RENTZENBRINK This is the best book I’ve ever read on anxiety, health and being an anxious person on this planet . . . [a] gift of a book — EMMA GANNON Rigorous, sceptical and jolly * * The Times * * A brave and moving book * * Independent * *