Gaming has been in the very fabric of our lives for generations. There are several board and table games which attest to that. Within this article, we’re celebrating a quartet of games which have stood the test of time and are still available for Gen Z to discover in online format.

We’re not talking about the latest Esports titles for a change. Instead, we’re delving into iconic, time-honored games, some of which have been enjoyed since the early age of our civilization.

Chess

It is said that the table game of chess can be dated back almost 1,500 years. Its inaugural predecessor was a game known as chaturanga enjoyed in India. It would eventually spread through Persia, Arabia and mainland Europe. By the 18th century, chess was a game based more on speed play, with short, sharp moves instead of considered, strategic planning.

The modern era of chess has been a real boon. The World Chess Championship was founded in 1886, bringing together the world’s best chess minds. Thanks to technological advancements, chess theory became a hot topic, attracting so-called “Chess Masters” like Garry Kasparov. Kasparov would go on to defeat a supercomputer built by IBM in the late 1990s to prove the human mind can outwit even the smartest computer at chess. There’s hope for us all!

Roulette

The basis of the table game of roulette was conceived by French physicist, Blaise Pascal, who created what we now know of as the roulette wheel in search of a perpetual motion machine. Of course, we now know that perpetual motion is one of life’s biggest myths, but many are grateful to Pascal’s innovation in creating the wheel itself.

Roulette is a game with dozens of numbered pockets. The aim of the game is simple – predict which numbered pocket the ball will land on at the end of the spin. In the mid-19th century, when the game of roulette began to work its way into the land-based casinos of France, Francois and Lois Blanc opted to introduce a roulette wheel with a green zero pocket, among the other 36 numbered pockets. This was a big deal at the time as it increased the house edge of the game.

More recently, the online roulette scene has ushered in a new wave of roulette variants, including an American version that’s now commonplace with most established iGaming operators. There are three versions most popular today – French, European, and American roulette. Each has their own nuanced game rules.

Mahjong

The tile-based game of Mahjong has enchanted generations of Chinese people and other nations like Japan, South Korea, and southeast Asia. Developed in the early 19th century, it took over 100 years for Mahjong to proliferate elsewhere around the world. Some people will know the game as “Mahjong Solitaire” or “Mahjong Rummy”. That’s because the game dynamics are build largely on the classic card game of Rummy.

The aim of the game is to complete a legal hand using 13-14 tiles drawn to you at random. Players take it in turns to draw and discard tiles to make their best hands, requiring four sets (three-of-a-kind) and a pair.

Although there is a moderate element of chance involved, there’s also a hint of skill required too. You need to think fast to build the right sets and pairs ahead of your opponents. It’s easy to find online sites and apps offering Mahjong game experiences, ideal for three-to-four-player scenarios.

Bridge

The earliest date we can find of bridge being played is 1529. The game is mentioned in one of Bishop Latimer’s public sermons. This means bridge is within a whisker of celebrating half-a-millennium in existence. During the successive centuries, bridge has existed in numerous forms. Some users may know of bridge as “whist” or “triumph”.

The game of bridge shot to popularity in the mid-18th century when Edmond Hoyles wrote his “Short Treatise on Whist”. It proved to be a best-seller, raising awareness of the game, which would become a major success as a social pastime.

In the 20th century, bridge was formalized as a serious card game. The World Championship series was established in 1950 and, eight years later, the World Bridge Federation was founded. More recently, bridge has seen a string of online communities develop attracting players from across the world. It’s a chance to play with your real-life bridge partners or meet new people with similar interests.

If you’re looking for an alternative game to the likes of Call of Duty and League of Legends, this quartet of iconic board and table games will keep your brain sharper than ever.