ARTICLE REVIEW
Author: Koichi Masukawa
Selected From: Simulation And Gaming In The Network Society (Chapter 1, Page 3-11)
Publisher: Springer
I am interested in knowing the principles (general relations/conformations observed often and used for desired results; see Principles), their elemental structure, and in forming a mathematics of it, from the relations of the elements (needs to be explored/clarified/verified). I thought on having experience on the principles from the board games, which I thought would be optimal after knowing their origins (for not missing any elemental experiences). I read this article, for the experience on past construction of these games.
Author says on the origins of board games to be in Shaman ("a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits"$_1$) behavior, where oracles can be determined by the board games, here not much evidence has been mentioned, to confirm this view. Presence of Lion Man figurine (~ 35,000 years old) is taken by the author as the evidence for the Shaman behavior; I don't see any reason on how those figurines can support that. Author could have explained on why he thinks this to be supporting Shaman behaviour.
To determine the oracles ("a response or message given by an oracle [priest]"$_1$), two sided objects like shells, animal teeth, nuts, leaves, and flat stones are said to have been used initially, with later (~ 10,000 years ago) using astragalus bonesーa four sided object. But, even here, no evidence has been given on them being used in that way.
It seems to me that the ability of forming abstract signs (at least from ~ 40,000 years ago$_2$), seems to have given flexibility of expressing the reality in a compact manner. Were the primitive board games sudden bursts of human creation for tackling his problems? Was there slow evolution of games? Can motion illustrating paintings itself be considered as the primitive games (simulations?), with the paintings itself getting abstracted/compacted/collapsed to board game patterns?
Author mentions other articles in support of the view on usage of board games for oracle determination, but seems not closed under proof in itself一we should go to those articles to verify the view. But, at the end Mayans' and Indians' still existing primitive form of one-row board is mentioned, with no explanation on the dynamics of their game or on their use for oracle determination, here again not closed in evidence within itself, we are asked to read Verveck (1998).
Oldest board games found in Levant (with rows of holes), dating ~7,000 BC, are then said to be precursors of Mancala game. Other known board games, dating ~3,000 BC, are said to be all race games using dice.
Photos of wall paintings showing Egyptian playing Senet board game; photo of engraved marks at Palmyra, said as board game with no proof, and other photos of the marks which are believed to be board games, gives the dense experience. Duodecium Scripta, a Roman Empire game, and the Backgammon game are more clear in evidence to be board games. Then, categorization of all the known games (till ~2,000 BC) into dice, allignment, cofiguration, hole containing, and encircling games is made. At the end, rise and fall of game boards is explained as from the "changes in the social environment and the individual preferences", which I think is the need of the game helping in culture he/she is living in.
This line, "Chaturanga was developed...perhaps as a means of incorporating training exercises for armies onto a board" indicates on games role as simulation.
The main data this article gives is the experience of the known primitive board games, the holes; rest of the article seems to be speculation, or data with no self (this article) contained evidences.
$_1$ The New Oxford American Dictionary, $_2$ Petzinger (2016), The First Signs, Atria Books.
Author: Koichi Masukawa
Selected From: Simulation And Gaming In The Network Society (Chapter 1, Page 3-11)
Publisher: Springer
I am interested in knowing the principles (general relations/conformations observed often and used for desired results; see Principles), their elemental structure, and in forming a mathematics of it, from the relations of the elements (needs to be explored/clarified/verified). I thought on having experience on the principles from the board games, which I thought would be optimal after knowing their origins (for not missing any elemental experiences). I read this article, for the experience on past construction of these games.
Author says on the origins of board games to be in Shaman ("a person regarded as having access to, and influence in, the world of good and evil spirits"$_1$) behavior, where oracles can be determined by the board games, here not much evidence has been mentioned, to confirm this view. Presence of Lion Man figurine (~ 35,000 years old) is taken by the author as the evidence for the Shaman behavior; I don't see any reason on how those figurines can support that. Author could have explained on why he thinks this to be supporting Shaman behaviour.
To determine the oracles ("a response or message given by an oracle [priest]"$_1$), two sided objects like shells, animal teeth, nuts, leaves, and flat stones are said to have been used initially, with later (~ 10,000 years ago) using astragalus bonesーa four sided object. But, even here, no evidence has been given on them being used in that way.
It seems to me that the ability of forming abstract signs (at least from ~ 40,000 years ago$_2$), seems to have given flexibility of expressing the reality in a compact manner. Were the primitive board games sudden bursts of human creation for tackling his problems? Was there slow evolution of games? Can motion illustrating paintings itself be considered as the primitive games (simulations?), with the paintings itself getting abstracted/compacted/collapsed to board game patterns?
Author mentions other articles in support of the view on usage of board games for oracle determination, but seems not closed under proof in itself一we should go to those articles to verify the view. But, at the end Mayans' and Indians' still existing primitive form of one-row board is mentioned, with no explanation on the dynamics of their game or on their use for oracle determination, here again not closed in evidence within itself, we are asked to read Verveck (1998).
Oldest board games found in Levant (with rows of holes), dating ~7,000 BC, are then said to be precursors of Mancala game. Other known board games, dating ~3,000 BC, are said to be all race games using dice.
Photos of wall paintings showing Egyptian playing Senet board game; photo of engraved marks at Palmyra, said as board game with no proof, and other photos of the marks which are believed to be board games, gives the dense experience. Duodecium Scripta, a Roman Empire game, and the Backgammon game are more clear in evidence to be board games. Then, categorization of all the known games (till ~2,000 BC) into dice, allignment, cofiguration, hole containing, and encircling games is made. At the end, rise and fall of game boards is explained as from the "changes in the social environment and the individual preferences", which I think is the need of the game helping in culture he/she is living in.
This line, "Chaturanga was developed...perhaps as a means of incorporating training exercises for armies onto a board" indicates on games role as simulation.
The main data this article gives is the experience of the known primitive board games, the holes; rest of the article seems to be speculation, or data with no self (this article) contained evidences.
$_1$ The New Oxford American Dictionary, $_2$ Petzinger (2016), The First Signs, Atria Books.
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