Games Britannia

Episode 01

Dicing with Destiny

Dec 7, 2009 · 59 min

Games held a spiritual element from ancient times that by the late Middle Ages gave way to gambling. Victorian backlash against dice and card games sought to reposition games as moral educational tools.

Episode 02

Monopolies and Mergers

Dec 14, 2009 · 59 min

Britain exported the moral instructional board game to America, where it was adapted to celebrate wealth and free enterprise in the best-selling game Monopoly. Cluedo, Scrabble, and Monopoly went on to become enduring British family favourites post-war. In the 1980s game development began turning toward fantasy role-playing and computer games.

Episode 03

Joystick Generation

Dec 21, 2009 · 59 min

Fantasy role-playing games developed predominantly in America while the British begin turning their attention to computer games. From early titles like Elite to popular characters like Lara Croft who broke out into the wider entertainment world, Britain's video games harnessed the power of our imagination. The Internet age propelled us to today, where our morality is tested in the world of Grand Theft Auto, and our digital selves interact with virtual realms like Runescape and World of Warcraft.