Marcus du Sautoy Explores Human History Through Games

The book La vuelta al mundo en ochenta juegos offers a comprehensive look at the history of human play, examining how games have challenged human ingenuity throughout the centuries. Authored by Marcus du Sautoy and translated by Eugenio Jesús Gómez Ayala, the work is published by Acantilado and spans 464 pages.

The narrative is framed by a personal anecdote involving Marcus du Sautoy as a child visiting the Museo Británico. There, he discovered a board of the Royal Game of Ur, a game played by the Babilonios 25 centuries before our era. The book explores the concept of Homo ludens by analyzing various forms of entertainment, from traditional board games to modern video games.

The journey into the history of games begins with a specific memory from over 50 years ago. A young Marcus du Sautoy, described as a Londinense child, frequently visited the Museo Británico because his grandparents lived nearby. He enjoyed wandering the halls and examining the treasures housed within the institution.

Among the artifacts, he encountered a beautiful board made of red and blue woods with inlay work. This object was identified as a board of the Royal Game of Ur. This ancient game was a source of entertainment for the Babilonios 25 centuries before our era, providing a direct link to the pastimes of early civilizations.

The book La vuelta al mundo en ochenta juegos covers a wide spectrum of entertainment methods used by humanity. It discusses the physical components of games, such as fichas (tokens), tableros (boards), cartas (cards), and dados (dice). These traditional elements form the foundation of many historical and modern games.

In addition to physical games, the essay addresses the digital realm. It highlights significant video games, including the mítico Tetris, and popular digital pastimes like Wordle. The book explores how these modern iterations continue the tradition of challenging human intellect and providing entertainment.

The central theme of the book is an essay designed to help readers understand Homo ludens, or the 'playing man.' This concept examines the intrinsic human need to play and how it shapes culture and intellect. The book analyzes how games have served as a medium for challenging ingenuity across different eras.

By tracing the lineage of games from the ancient Babylonians to contemporary digital formats, the work illustrates the enduring nature of play. It suggests that the desire to engage in structured, rule-based play is a fundamental aspect of the human experience, evolving alongside technology but remaining constant in its psychological importance.