Games
The history of games goes back thousands of years. The earliest game in the Museum's collection dates from the 16th century. Games have rules and the main objective of any game is to win, whether it is played by individuals or teams. Some games are also designed to be used as learning tools.
Board Games
The strategy game and the race game are the two main types of board game. The race game appears in all sorts of guises: educational, moral, competitive and fun. A race game involves two or more players competing against each other in order to win.
Cards
While standard playing cards have been around for centuries, children's card games have only appeared relatively recently. Happy Families, for example, was first published in the 1860s.
Table & Outdoor Games
The Museum's collection of table and outdoor games includes marbles, a game played in ancient Egypt and Subbuteo, a football game, invented in the mid 20th century.
Puzzles
The jigsaw puzzle has been one of the most consistently popular toys for more than two hundred years and played with by both children and adults.
