Evolution of Games: From War to Entertainment

I remember when I was a little girl, I would sit with my dad while he watched live transmissions of cricket, football, hockey or sometimes traditional games like archery, horse riding and polo. Most of the times, I didn’t understand the rules of the sports tournaments I watched with great concentration. Despite that, i cheered when the crowd cheered, I clapped when the crowd clapped and whistled and I showed resentment when a player was out of the field or got caught out, or got a penalty.

The crowd’s energy and wish for the favourite teams to win resonated with the audience who were watching on televisions or listening on radios. The hype is real, the hype is crazy till this day. It is interesting to note how a certain activity can transfer such immense waves of energy and excitement throughout the world. If we have a deep dive in the history of mankind, we will find the games have always been a source of activity and recreation. The forms, rules, and sometimes names may have changed but the excitement has been increasing since ever.

Evolution of games

Some of my favourite games that I have seen growing and evolving, have interesting sides to them. For example, in the old days, Mughal emperors took pride in horse riding, javelin throwing, wrestling, kabbadi and archery skills. People would gather from far flung villages and towns to attend special tournaments arranged by the rulers to see brave, active youth fighting to win. The prominent winners were awarded with valuable prizes and presents from the rulers. In addition, they were offered high ranks in the court or army.

Archery

Archery has always been considered a skill of precision and judgement, a valuable skill for the wars and warriors of the old times. Old portrayal of arts, and history shows warriors flaunting their bow and arrows proudly. The test of excellence in archery included putting an apple or bottle on the head of a person and asking the archer to split the apple or bottle in two. Large crowds would gather to witness these breath taking moments.

With passage of time, archery took an interesting turn and became a part of sports competitions at local and international tournaments, making to the Olympics. In India, it evolved from a war skill to entertainment teer activity that keeps residents of Meghalaya, Shillong, Khanapara, Juwai and other parts of India busy and engaged every day.

Horse Riding

Horse riding has always held special importance in the history. From war grounds to green meadows of the royal palaces, and sports tournaments, most beautiful and noble races of horses with agile and super fast horse riders were seen. With the passage of time, horse racing became a favourite sports activity for people. Horse riding became a desired hobby for the children and youth. Even the carousels in festivals have plastic horse for the toddlers to enjoy little rides. Unicorns and My little pony refer to the fame and acceptance given to the horses.

Wrestling

In the old times, one of the parameters of assessing power of the opponent army was having more number of wrestlers. When a war started, one warrior or wrestler would com forward from each side and compete. When one of them retired, the other would come forward and then the armies would start fighting. This purely war skill, gradually turned into the modern form of wrestling, and got world wide fame. The wrestlers are loved all over the world, while some of them appeared in the movies and became favourite stars.

That being said, it is noteworthy to find many other games that are still part of the human civilisation in newer and more acceptable forms. This beauty of evolution makes the human life and experiences as individuals and as entities more interesting and rich. Which games in your country have evolved with the passage of time? Share with me.