People have loved playing games since the dawn of humanity. Some anthropologists even say that playing games is a distinctive feature of Homo Sapiens. At once, games with some objects specifically used for gameplay appeared only with the development of civilization. Domino is a brilliant example of such a game. Yet, do you know how old the game of dominoes is, and who invented the game? Let’s learn more about the domino’s history and modern variations.
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A Simple Objective of All Domino Games
First, what is domino? This name unites numerous games where players use specially crafted pieces with spots on one side and blank or patterned surfaces on another. These pieces are called tiles or dominoes, and they are indispensable parts of domino gameplay. The spotted surface of dominoes is typically divided into two parts by a line or a ridge. The number of spots (aka dots or pips) determines the value of each tile. Modern types of dominoes besides dots often have tiles with special symbols (for example, in Spinner Domino, special tiles with a spinner mark are used).
“Dominoes have passed through centuries and continents, but one thing has remained unchanged: the joy of the sound of the tiles falling on the table.”
The core principle of domino games is to match domino tiles according to some rules on the playing desk to get rid of the ‘hand’, the set of tiles each player gets at the beginning of a game. At once, domino rules are greatly modified, so while in some variations the mission is to get rid of all tiles to be first and get no points, in other types, the objective is to gain as many dominoes during trick-taking game sets as possible.
The History of Domino: Several Theories from the Ancient Past
It is quite curious to learn where dominoes originate. Besides, multiple theories occurred about the origin of dominoes. Often, they are controversial, but they all agree on one point: the history of the dominoe game dates back at least 1,500 years, and probably, the game can be even older.
Who invented the game with dominoes?
- Theory #1 claims the predecessor of dominoes was the game played by ancient Egyptians. The findings in Tutankhamun’s grave resembled domino tiles, and thus, the domino’s origin may be Egyptian. Then, in the 12th century, it came from Egypt to China and there, domino got a new stage of development.
- Theory #2 is based on the findings and it claims that dominoes originated in China due to ancient tiles with red and black dots found in archaeological sites. The first mentions of dominoes in China dated back to the Song dynasty regiment. At once, ancient Chinese domino sets differentiated from the Western ones we commonly use today. They had no zero suit and the set consisted of 32 tiles. Chinese games resembling dominoes were predominantly trick-taking.
This theory also correlates the Chinese invention of dominoes with their further popularity in Western countries where the first domino games appeared in the 17th century.
Curious fact: Dominoes are ancestors of dice. Therefore, Chinese dominoes had values similar to two dice (i.e. a 5:3 tile resembled dice thrown for 5 and for 3).
- Theory #3 appeals to the independent invention of domino games in the East and in the West. It claims that domino-like games are present in various societies. For example, the Inuit indigenous people also had their variation of domino consisting of 148 tiles, Thus, the first European domino games appeared in the same 17th century in Italy, and then, by the mid-18th century, it became popular in France, and then in England. The core difference between Eastern and Western domino games was that in China, most domino games were trick-taking, while Western were positioning games. Another difference is that the classic Western domino set consists of 28 tiles with all combinations of numbers of dots from 1 to 6 and an additional 7 tiles with zero dots on one side.
Dominoes History Since the 17th Century
In the 18th century, domino became a staple game for Europeans, and further, with the sailors and pioneers of American colonization, it came to North America. By the way, the name of this game was offered in 1798. There are two legends about its origin. The first relates the word ‘domino’ to the Latin word ‘Dominus’ which means ‘the master’. Another legend ties the term ‘domino’ to the hood worn by priests which had a black and white lining.
Curious fact: Do you know that the first World Domino Championship was held in the 20th century, and the Netherlands even celebrated a special Domino Day?
In the US, under the pressure of Baptist priests, domino became extremely popular. The secret was the church prohibited card games claiming them as sinful. That’s why American gamers adopted the rules of card games and used them in Domino. That’s how a couple of popular domino games we are playing today were invented.
The Diversity of Domino Games: Examples of New Concepts
Today, domino games impress players with their diversity. Games are evolving, and dominoes are not the exception. There are extended sets besides classy double-six one, for example, sets of double-nine, double-twelve, and even double-fifteen. Besides, the gameplay of Domino games varies greatly. While you need to get more tricks and points in Texas 42 or Shoot the Moon Domino, like in card games, Mexican Train and Spinner Domino are positioning games requiring players to discard their ‘hand’ as quickly as possible. Domino games even in their light versions are games of strategy and logical thinking, and this makes them so sought-after among players.
No one can tell you exactly how old is the game of dominoes. The truth is, it is much older than you can think, and it is a result of the development of logical thinking, the feature that distinguishes humanity from other species. Besides, it is truly a popular game that tickles the nerves and brings lots of fun to the players.
Conclusion
Do you want to learn more facts and curiosities about board games? Welcome to other articles in our blog as we have prepared lots of interesting materials about them for you.
