Language









Today I would like to talk about an important aspect of games: language.


Have you ever played a foreign game? If it was translated into English, did the title still retain its original language?


When I was a kid, my brother had a French card game known as "Mille Bornes" ("Thousand Milestones"). Has anyone else ever played this?

It was an automobile-racing card game, and the goal was to be the first to reach a distance of a thousand miles (or km in the European version).
It was rare for me as a kid to play a game that was in another language, especially one whose title I did not even understand. But it was fun!


Many years later, some Japanese friends taught me how to play the card game Daifugō ("Very Rich Man"). It is played with a standard deck of playing cards, and the goal is to get rid of all your cards as fast as possible. It is very entertaining. Give it a try!


(Daifugō" written in Kanji)


The final game I will mention is a special one. It was played by the Vikings long ago, and it is a version of the ancient Hnefatafl (an Old Norse game).
In the early 1700's, a botanist named Carl Linnaeus was doing research in Lapland (northern Scandinavia), and found the local Sámi people still playing it. He wrote down the rules which were later translated into modern English, and the game is played by enthusiasts to this day.
The game is called Tablut. I am really excited about this game because I recently learned about it, and I still have yet to play it! I'm really looking forward to it!






(the original sketch of Tablut)




To be able to play such a traditional game is really unique. I wonder how many old games have simply been lost to time. I'm glad this one found its way to us. When I get a chance to play it, I'm certain it will conjure images in my mind of Vikings playing the very same game by a campfire somewhere long ago.


Do you ever dream of playing a strange and exciting new game from a land (or a time) far away?








That's all for today. As always, I hope you have a great day!














































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