Activities: by space, time, group size and energy
Everyday leisure that is open to all and lawful — from board games to festivals — described by who it suits and what it needs.
Kinds of activity
Digital games
Board and strategy games
Escape rooms and active games
Live performing arts
Festivals and exhibitions
Family entertainment
What each entry records
Relations to other domains:
Activities articles
From chatrang to chess: the Persian chapter of the game
How chess grew from Indian chaturanga to Persian chatrang and Arabic shatranj, the Persian words it still uses — shah, check and mate — and its trip west.
How to play Hokm, Iran's favourite card game
The rules of Hokm step by step — teams, the hakem, choosing the trump, following suit, winning tricks and kot — with tips for new players.
Mench: the race game with a German name and an Indian past
Where Mench comes from — India's pachisi, England's Ludo and Germany's “Mensch ärgere Dich nicht” — and simple tactics for playing well.
Snakes and ladders: a game of luck with a long history
Snakes and ladders began in India as a game about good and bad deeds, reached Victorian England, and became Iran's mar-pele. Its story and why children love it.
How to solve a maze: the wall-follower rule and beyond
Why keeping one hand on the wall solves many mazes, when it fails, and how computers generate mazes like the ones in ZIBADISPLAY's maze game.
Dooz (tic-tac-toe): why perfect play always ends in a draw
The simple strategy behind tic-tac-toe — centre, corners, forks and blocks — and why two perfect players can never beat each other.
Board and card games for the whole family
What makes a game good for mixed ages, how to choose between luck and strategy games, and simple house rules that keep game night friendly.
Hosting a conversation game: Secret City and Secret Word
How to run a great round of Secret City or Secret Word: choosing a narrator, explaining roles, keeping discussion kind, and timing each round.