Games have always been part of daily English life; it’s just that over time, they’ve become more organized and less brutal. The earliest games recorded in England come from Roman times, where board, dice, and ball games were all popular.
In this article, we take you on a journey of how games have evolved in the Kingdom of England, and later the United Kingdom.
Medieval Period
In medieval times, the lower classes played brutal games, such as the early version of football, where the aim was to get the ball into the goal (often miles away) by any means necessary. It was not organized like today, such as Rugby and Football, and it was extremely dangerous to play.
Because of the number of injuries in folk games like football, some kings even banned games such as Edward III. However, the main reason was that football was seen as a distraction from archery. Edward was a professional military commander and wanted his subjects to learn the art of archery for the battlefield rather than waste their time playing football.
The upper classes and the clergy played chess; a game introduced during the Norman invasion in 1066. Chess, even to this day, shows intelligence and strategy, something the aristocracy needed, especially on the battlefield.
Tudor Period
In the 15th and 16th centuries, playing cards were introduced to England, from mainland Europe. This started the nation’s love affair with all types of card games, from poker and bridge to pontoon and tarot.
Card games transcended class and were played by everyone from the peasants to even the King. For instance, Henry VII was a big fan of “Primero” an initial form of what we know today as poker.
Just like today, card games were played at the local tavern or home. Also, gambling took place, which essentially became the catalyst for casino games in the modern day, namely table games like blackjack and poker.
However, nowadays the normal Brit can play casino games on any device while streaming in
HD and claim a welcome bonus. Playing at online casinos rather than location-based ones provides players with flexibility and plenty of rewards.
Victorian Period
By the Victorian era, the United Kingdom was the first country to go through the industrial revolution. This spurred a huge wave of migration from rural areas to urban ones. With this, organized games often by schools, churches, or factories started to develop.
In 1863 the Football Association (FA), was founded, creating rules for the game, and even organizing a cup – The FA Cup. The FA Cup is still competed to this day and remains the oldest football competition in the world.
Besides football, the upper classes of the Victorian era played cricket, tennis, rugby and enjoyed horse racing. Horse racing had been patronized by the Royal Family since at least the 1600s, with the first racecourse being Newmarket in Suffolk.
Modern Period
The biggest revolution in gaming in the 20th and 21st centuries was video games. First, they were released in the 1970s, on consoles such as the Atari and ZX Spectrum. Later, video games evolved into far greater quality systems such as PlayStation, Sega, Nintendo, and Xbox.
Yet, in the past decade, we’ve seen the rise of mobile gaming on smartphones. All types are available to play at your fingertips, including popular ones such as Call of Duty, EAFC, and Fortnite. Often, games on mobile devices are free, but you have the option to purchase in-game items such as skins, points, or characters.
Playing video games is one of the most popular pastimes for people of all ages. The industry is now even bigger than Hollywood, as of 2023, the market was worth $200bn, compared to $100bn for movies and TV.