Games Britannia, Part 2

Games Britannia, Part 2

Greetings, mortals.

Well, with my lack of wit persisting into the morn, I have little to say to (at) you other than the serious notes about my second viewing of the Games Britannia series.

In this episode, some more modern board games are discussed, most of which were developed and published in the mid to late 20th century. The first game discussed was Mansion of Bliss; in the late 19th century, as school became a mandatory part of the life of Britain's children, a game was adopted and popularised in schools to entice them to attend. Mansion of Bliss is an entirely chance-based race game, much like Snakes and Ladders is, with moves being dictated by a chance mechanism similar to a die, and is intended to teach children while they play. These teachings the game was intended to impart were focused around supporting virtues, such as obedience to parents, and deterrence of vices, such as animal cruelty.

This was the case with this game to the point where the 34 playing spaces on the board are split into virtues and vices, virtues offering rewards to the player who lands on them, and landing on vices resulting in a forfeit. The goal of the game is to reach the centre space, the Mansion of Bliss, before anyone else.

Next was a game designed around the politics of Britain at the time, during a time of major political reform. Brer Fox an' Brer Rabbit ultimately inspired Monopoly, which was released in 1936. This game included a great deal of buying land for profit, and was intended as a critique of the reform, or a particular party.

There was more to this episode, but unfortunately enough, the library's streaming tool (I believe it's legal) is not functional for this particular piece, meaning I can't re-watch the episode and continue to take more thorough notes. The main focus was politics, however, and the Brer Fox an' Brer Rabbit was a major part of this.

That's enough from me for now, I think. Praise that Emperor!