Online Guide to Traditional Games

Citation

Schadt, A. (2001), "Online Guide to Traditional Games", Online Information Review, Vol. 25 No. 5, pp. 329-337. https://doi.org/10.1108/oir.2001.25.5.329.10

The Online Guide to Traditional Games “provides history, useful links and current information about traditional games from around the world”. The main categories of games covered are board games, table games, pub games, lawn games, and “dice, cards, and tiles”. The author is British, and the games covered are primarily those popular in the UK. For example, there is a citation for cricket, but not for baseball. The site does not concern itself with trademarked games, such as Scrabble or Monopoly.

The home page has a Games Index, which lists games alphabetically, from Alquerque to Xiang Qi. It also has “General Links”. This leads to many useful game sites. The home page links to a bibliography that contains a meagre list of sources. There is also a link for “Make Traditional Games”, which provides one link and a list of books for the do‐it‐yourselfer. The bottom of each page has a link for the author’s e‐mail, and a link back to the home page. The site states that it has no paid ads. The layout of the home page is clear and easy to navigate, but uninspiring. It has no pictures or other distractions from the text.

Some of the game links have links to other relevant sites. Most have one or more photographs of the game board, playing pieces, or equipment. Each game link has a description of the game and its variants (if any), and a discussion of the game’s history and development. Often a glossary of terms used in play is given. Rules for playing are sometimes provided. Occasionally a link exists which directs users to sites for associations and/or rules for the game. Often a link for “Where to buy” directs users to the Masters Games Web site; most likely the similarity to the author’s last name is not coincidental. The Online Guide links are not consistent in the type or number of links provided for each game.

The authority of the author is unknown, as he has no sponsoring organization, and proffers no credentials. However, the site received an award from Encyclopaedia Britannica, and it would be safe to assume that the information given is reliable. The site does not state when it was last updated, but it seems to be well maintained; I did not encounter any dead links. It would be nice if the site had a link for other games, such as trademarked games, and lawn or field games not mentioned on the site. I recommend this site as a good source of information about games of the type covered.