History can be defined as the study and the record of the events that have already occurred in the past. The record of the historic events is generally maintained in the form of documents, pictures, statistical data, or videos. A person who studies history is called a historian. Studying history requires intense research and exploration of the data available in books, journals, newspapers, and letters. Also, the analysis of living and non-living remains and the close investigation of the objects, pictures, videos, tools, etc. related to the events serve to be some of the most useful techniques that help historians recreate and describe the scenarios of the past in great detail. The process of acquiring knowledge of historic events with the help of traditional learning methods is a tedious task; however, one can easily gain information about the events of the past by participating in fun history games and activities.
Examples of Fun History Games for Adults
There are a variety of fun history games available in the market that are suitable for adults. Some of the examples of such games are listed below:
1. Chronology
Chronology is a card-based multiplayer game that is best suited for people of all ages, especially adults. The game contains a set of 480 playing cards. Each card has a question related to a historic event or a significant person written on one side. The solution to most of the game questions requires the players to guess the year in which a particular historic event took place. The main aim of the game is to answer the questions accurately; however, leverage is given to the players that the answer needs not to be the exact year, but instead, it can be the year that is closest to the correct answer or the exact year. The player who guesses the farthest year as the answer to the question gets disqualified. The person who manages to reach the last stage of the game after all the other players get disqualified is declared the winner of the game. A chronology game helps a person remember the time during which a particular incident took place in a fun and easy manner. The game also helps the player build various personality development skills such as the ability to respond simultaneously to situations, memorizing power, and information retaining capacity.
2. History of the World
As the name itself suggests, the history of the world game aims at teaching the players about the history of the world in a fun and easy manner. The game is typically a strategy and conquest game typically designed for three to six players. The players playing the game are allowed to take command of various historical civilizations and take steps to spread their reign across the globe. The ultimate aim of the game is to build the largest and the strongest empire of all the empires present in the game space. This can be done by claiming the neighbouring territories or eliminating rivals to earn points. The player with the maximum number of points has the largest empire and is declared the winner of the game. The game was released in 1991 for the first time. The history of the world game helps the players understand the basic criteria required to build and grow a civilization. Also, the players can gain information and knowledge regarding the ancient civilizations in a fun and easy manner with the help of such games. Along with intellectual development, history fun games also help a person build certain personality-development skills such as critical thinking, ethical decision-making ability, confidence, etc.
3. Axis and Allies
Axis and allies is a prominent example of the fun history games designed for the purpose of learning as well as enjoyment. It falls under the category of strategy board games. Two different versions of the axis and allies game were published in 1981 and 1984 respectively. The game is typically designed for 2-5 players. The game is suitable for children above 12 years of age and adults. The main plot of the axis and allies is constituted by the events that occurred during world war II. The game typically consists of four game boards, 7 game charts, 14 dice, 178 markers and tokens, 8 storage boxes, 80 plastic chips, 90 units of paper money, and 672 other game objects. The players playing the game are assigned with the powers possessed by different countries. The axis players take their position on the southern edge of the map, while the allies sit near the north region of the board. The battle boards, charts, markers, and game pieces are arranged according to the instruction manual. Victory tokens are given to the players as per their powers. The ultimate aim of the game is to win the war. Axis and allies fun history game allows the players to easily understand and memorise the information related to the events and incidents that took place during world war II for a relatively longer duration of time.
4. Civilization VI
Civilization VI games is a fun history game designed for adults that help them learn about various historical events, incidents, and significant personalities while playing. The main objective of the game is to interact with the self-created game world, expand your empire across the play area or the map, and compete against some of the most significant personalities of the past. The game is designed for multiple players that provides the players with an opportunity to compete against each other to enhance their knowledge and other team-building qualities. Also, the game helps the player to improve his/her critical thinking ability, decision-making skills, confidence, and various other personality enhancement skills.
5. The Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a simple card-based history fun game designed for multiple players. An Oregon trail game is best suited for adults as it is primarily based on strategical manipulations and logic theory. Here, the players attempt to work in cooperation with each other to work for their survival along their journey of the Oregon trial. The Oregon trial was an approximately 2000 mile long route that stretched from Independence, Missouri to Oregon City. The Oregon trail route was used by the American pioneers during the mid-1800s for emigration purposes. The Oregon trial game primarily aims at teaching the players about the significance of the Oregon Trail and the realities of the hardships faced by a 19th-century pioneer on the Oregon Trail. Most of the facts and the information used by the game are closely related to true historic Oregon Trail events and experiences. The game is mostly available in the form of board games; however, some of the digital versions of the game are also available on the internet that can be accessed online or offline on a laptop, mobile phone, tablet, or any other related gadget. The game board typically contains a pictorial representation of the Oregon Trail on its top surface. The players playing the game encounter multiple obstacles such as rattlesnakes, lack of food and water supplies, weather discomforts, etc. For a team to win, one of the players needs to make it through the route, i.e., travel from Independence to the Willamette Valley. The Oregon trail fun history game helps a person gain the necessary information regarding the Oregon Trail in a fun and straightforward manner that he/she is able to retain for a relatively long duration of time.
6. Founding Fathers
Founding father is a classic example of the fun history games that a person can play to enhance his/her knowledge of the American government and history. The game is typically designed for 3-5 players. Each player playing the game tends to play the role of some of the significant historical delegates and attempt to make the best decisions to shape America’s government. The game begins with the creation of an imaginary American nation. During this time, the player tends to act as the statesman by portraying President Washington. The player is required to manage the debts and crises created due to the war by taking political decisions. Later, he/she attempts to relive the events and scenes through the period of Abraham Lincoln. The game tends to elevate the historical knowledge possessed by a person and helps him/her develop and enhance various personality development skills such as ethical decision-making, critical thinking ability, problem-solving skills, confidence, and many more.
7. Twilight Struggle
The twilight struggle is one of the best fun games that a person can play for overall personality development and to understand the events that occurred during the cold war and the consequences related to it in great detail. The game is basically a strategy drafting and territory control game that is divided into three main phases, i.e., early wartime, mid-war period, and the late war span. The twilight struggle is a two-player game; however, the game can also be played between two teams, where each team contains two to four members. The game units are called the influence points. The game units are required to be placed into the game area as per the particular country that the player opts to favour, i.e., either USA or USSR. The placement of the game units is generally decided with the help of playing cards that the player chooses. Each playing card basically contains a piece of information or a task related to the real-life events that took place during the cold war. Some of the major events of the cold war that are discussed in the game include the Cuban missile crisis, the Suez crisis, and the warsaw pact. The player playing the twilight struggle game tends to learn about the occurrence, result, and effects of such events in an interactive and easy manner. To win the game, the players are required to score the maximum number of points. The point distribution is decided by the influence that the player has over different regions of the game world. The game also has game objects such as a space race, a flip-flopping China card, a Defcon track, etc. The use of such objects triggers the Nuclear war and the player responsible for the war tends to lose the game. Other than the intellectual benefits of the game, the game also helps the player improve his/her ethical decision-making skills, problem-solving abilities, builds confidence, and enhances his/her relationship-building capabilities.
8. Lost Ruins of Arnak
The lost ruins of the Arnak game is one of the best examples of fun games that are best suited for people who are interested in learning historical events and incidents. The game is basically a board game designed for three to six players. The game typically consists of 6 boards, 110 game cards, a score pad, resource and research tokens, and various other game objects. The game is primarily based on the events and consequences related to the discovery of a mysterious island during the 1930s. The player playing the lost ruins of Arnak game learns about various forgotten languages and ancient artefacts of the world. The game also enables the players to understand the stories and myths of the past. Also, with the help of lost ruins of Arnak game, the player is able to improve his/her confidence, decision-making ability, critical thinking, and various other personality development skills.
9. Here I Stand
Here I Stand: Wars of the reformation 1517-1555 is a prominent example of the fun history games that tend to deal with the political and religious conflicts that occurred during the early 16th century in Europe. Some of the significant events and personalities that were involved in the 40 year-long period of reformation include Martin Luther King, Ignatius of Loyola, Charles V, Henry VIII, Francis I, John Calvin, Hernan Cortes, and Nicolaus Copernicus. The gameplay is based on a card-driven system. There are six main powers in the game, namely the Ottomans, the English, the french, the papacy, the protestants, the Habsburgs. Each power assigned to a player has a unique path to victory. The game tends to build a diplomatic approach to the alliance building in the player. The player is able to enhance his/her critical as well as logical thinking ability and ethical decision making capability by playing the here I stand game. The game is basically designed to be played among 3-6 players, the rules tend to vary according to the number of the players playing the game. The game enables the player to gain knowledge of the religious, economic, political, and diplomatic factors of the past in a fun and easy manner.
10. Virgin Queen: Wars of Religion 1559-1598
Virgin Queen: Wars of Religion 1559-1598 is yet another example of the fun history games designed for adults that mainly deals with the historical events that took place in Europe during the reigns of Elizabeth I of England and Philip II of Spain. The game basically belongs to a strategy board game category and is designed for two to six players. The plot of the virgin queen game makes use of the political, religious, military, economic, and various other conflicts of the past. The six powers of the Virgin Queen game include the Ottoman, the Spanish, the English, the French, the Holy Roman Empire, and the Dutch and Huguenots (Protestants). Each player playing the game is provided with one or more sets of powers that existed in historical European politics. The main objective of the game is to build and run an empire. The game provides an interactive approach that helps the players explore historical events in a fun and easy manner. Also, the player is able to enhance his/her ethical decision-making skills, critical thinking ability, and various other personality development skills with the help of the virgin queen game.
11. Cuba Libre
Cuba Libre is a fun history game that is specifically based on the Cuban Revolution. The game explains the struggles and the incidents of the Cuban Revolution. The game is typically designed for one to four players. Some of the main historic events that the Cuba libre game deals with include the twelve, operation fisherman, general strike, radio Rebelde, the pact of Caracas, armoured cars, El Che and Raul, Rolando Masferrer, Sinatra, fat butcher, etc. The roles are assigned to each player playing the game as per the game information brochure. Cuba libre aims at recreating the symmetric and non-asymmetric conflicts that took place during the Vietnam, Afghanistan, and the French Algerian War. The winning of the game is based on the diplomatic decision-making ability and the interaction skills of the players. The plot of the Cuba Libre game helps a player gather information about various historic events and incidents of the past and enables him/her to retain the knowledge for a significantly longer duration of time. The players are able to develop intelligent quotient as well as social skills with the help of such history-based games. Some of the major skills developed with the help of the Cuba Libre game include confidence, decision making, ethical interaction with people, critical and logical thinking, etc.
