Games: History, Fascination, Gambling, and Science

Why are we so drawn to solving puzzles, playing games and taking on different personas? Games and fun activities are deeply ingrained in human evolution, serving as a fundamental behaviour that not only helps us comprehend our surroundings and ourselves, but also aids in socialisation. Play is not exclusive to humans; it is observed in various mammals, some birds, reptiles, fish, and even insects. Neurobiologists find it challenging to study play behaviour as it is difficult to suppress. For instance, even if the entire cerebral cortex of a rat, a structure believed to be responsible for higher intelligence, is surgically removed, the rat will continue to play.

The act of playing has a long history, dating back to ancient times. For instance, games such as Egyptian senet, mekheb (from 3000 BC), the royal game of Ur in Mesopotamia (from 2600 BC), hounds and jackals in Asia (from 2000 BC), Greek pente grammai (from 600 BC), and Chinese go (from 500 BC) have been enjoyed through the ages and continue to be adapted and played in modern times.

In the present day, the gaming industry rivals all other forms of entertainment in size. Scientists attribute the universal popularity of games to the brain’s inclination to construct models of the world in order to anticipate events, and games, by nature, are built on uncertainty. The unpredictability within games captivates us because it introduces an element of missing information within the brain’s world model. It is akin to the satisfaction one gets from solving a challenging crossword puzzle. 😉