| YouTube: | https://youtube.com/watch?v=UpJVDO3NDCI |
| Previous: | 16 Facts That Will Warp Your Sense of Time | Mental Floss |
| Next: | 10 Dark Origins of Nursery Rhymes | Mental Floss |
Categories
Statistics
| View count: | 28,563 |
| Likes: | 989 |
| Comments: | 96 |
| Duration: | 20:50 |
| Uploaded: | 2022-10-13 |
| Last sync: | 2025-10-21 14:15 |
The history of board games covers thousands of years of history and speaks to some big questions: What happens in our brains when we play board games? What is fun? And (slightly less profound, but potentially of interest to intellectual property lawyers) who's really responsible for Monopoly?
Board game game history touches on culture and technology, psychology and politics. Why are cooperative games like Pandemic, Gloomhaven, Arkham Horror, and Hanabi so popular? Is it fun for everyone to lose? Welcome to the History of Fun, a new series about the history and science of humans' favorite ways to have a good time.
In this episode of The History of Fun, Justin (@juddtoday) explores the interesting history of board games, specifically cooperative games, with board game designer Matt Leacock, who is responsible for the Pandemic game series, Forbidden Island, and so much more.
Make sure to subscribe to stay up to date on new episodes of this show. And leave a comment letting us know what topics you'd like to see covered next!
Special thanks to Matt Leacock! If you'd like to check out his work (including his new game Daybreak), check out his website here:
https://www.leacock.com/
Music in this episode by:
Kevin Macleod
Drawings by: Nick Cox
Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss?sub_confirmation=1
About Mental Floss:
Mental Floss is where curious people come for trivia-tastic information. Mental Floss produces lists of fun facts, debunks common misconceptions, and tells untold stories from history, science, culture and more.
Website: http://www.mentalfloss.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mental_floss
Facebook: https://facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine
Copyright Notice: This video and YouTube channel contain dialog, music, and images that are property of Mental Floss. You are authorized to share the video link and channel, and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to this YouTube Channel is provided.
© 2025 Mental Floss
History of Fun: Cooperative Board Games | Mental Floss
https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss
Board game game history touches on culture and technology, psychology and politics. Why are cooperative games like Pandemic, Gloomhaven, Arkham Horror, and Hanabi so popular? Is it fun for everyone to lose? Welcome to the History of Fun, a new series about the history and science of humans' favorite ways to have a good time.
In this episode of The History of Fun, Justin (@juddtoday) explores the interesting history of board games, specifically cooperative games, with board game designer Matt Leacock, who is responsible for the Pandemic game series, Forbidden Island, and so much more.
Make sure to subscribe to stay up to date on new episodes of this show. And leave a comment letting us know what topics you'd like to see covered next!
Special thanks to Matt Leacock! If you'd like to check out his work (including his new game Daybreak), check out his website here:
https://www.leacock.com/
Music in this episode by:
Kevin Macleod
Drawings by: Nick Cox
Don't miss a video! Subscribe NOW: https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss?sub_confirmation=1
About Mental Floss:
Mental Floss is where curious people come for trivia-tastic information. Mental Floss produces lists of fun facts, debunks common misconceptions, and tells untold stories from history, science, culture and more.
Website: http://www.mentalfloss.com
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/mental_floss
Facebook: https://facebook.com/mentalflossmagazine
Copyright Notice: This video and YouTube channel contain dialog, music, and images that are property of Mental Floss. You are authorized to share the video link and channel, and embed this video in your website or others as long as a link back to this YouTube Channel is provided.
© 2025 Mental Floss
History of Fun: Cooperative Board Games | Mental Floss
https://www.youtube.com/@MentalFloss
No transcript to display.