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The Effect Of The Victorian Age On Gameplay And Game Development PERSONAL GAME HISTORY ESSAY By Robert Gervais
Victorian Values Effect Gameplay Development And Victorian Demand Gives Rise To A New Game Industry In order to understand the values of a cultural time period, historians generally research the everyday life of those who lived during that time period. Martha B. Brure, an author and historian who studies the lives of middle-class American-Victorian families, discovered multiple family budgets dating to 1911 CE. In examining the budgets, Brure finds that among food, clothing, and mortgage expenses, the Budget of the Allison Family, 1911, includes $50.40 for Amusements. (Schlereth 83) Upon further inspection, Brure finds that the line item for amusements constitutes roughly fivepercent of the Allison Familys annual budget! The Allison Familys annual budget illuminates the fact that although work dominated much of Victorian everyday life, the period also provided more leisure for more people. (Schlereth 83) Although the Victorians had more leisure time for amusements, Schlereth is careful to point out that Victorian values dictated that families could play only if persuaded they were also improving themselves and not wasting time. (209) Additionally, the Allisons budget suggests that they had disposable income to buy games. Historians assert that the United States had one of the fastest growing economies in the world in the 1870-1900 period (Husband & OLoughlin 2) and that there was a rapid growth of a wage-earning population in the United States. (9) The Victorian Age had two effects on gaming. Increased purchasing power and leisure time meant that for the first time in history, the first effect was that Victorian middle class values effected how publishers developed gameplay. Consequently, the second effect of Victorian demand for amusements ushered forth the worlds first game development industry. Victorian Lawns Effect Gameplay A little known Victorian author, who went by the name of Mrs. C.S. Peel, writes that during the Victorian Age, the aristocracy was at the height of its wealth and pride, and the union of comfort and magnificence in the great house was [paramount] (Young 79). Peel goes on to make the following assertion: As we descend in the social scale, the homes of the lesser aristocracy, the gentry, and country clergy, still reproduce in their arrangements, service, and decoration, the model of the great house. (79). Paintings and photographs from the Victorian Age show perfectly manicured lawns1, which suggests that Victorian middle class gentry valued their lawns as much as the aristocracy did. As they spent time on their lawns, the Victorians 1

! developed gameplay to occupy their leisure time. Victorians enjoyed games that are still played today, such as tennis and croquet. Anecdotal Samplings Of Victorian Lawn Gaming Life W.J. Reader, an authority on English Victorian life, states that, energy was the key quality of the Victorians. (1) A natural extension of Victorian lawn games was the incorporation of social activity with gameplay. The following examples provide a sample of how Victorian values affected lawn gameplay: Lawn Tennis An English tennis club called the Literary Societys Lawn Tennis Club (Club) met during the weekend to engage in distinctly Victorian activities by playing lawn tennis and reading books2. The Clubs progenitor, Pastor Booth, is quoted as reporting that, the sociability of the [tennis] club depends a great deal upon teas. (Reader 134) By associating lawn tennis with high tea, Booth makes it clear that lawn tennis was a very important social activity during the Victorian Age. Croquet A nineteenth century columnist named Bernard Darwin, writes that another Victorian lawn game, croquet, was introduced to English society by an Irish lady named Miss Macnaughten, who is said to have discovered it in the south of France soon after 18501. Prior to the introduction of lawn tennis, croquet is said to have been the most popular Victorian lawn game prior to 18701. Darwin goes on to write that croquet, has a unique attraction, and ladies who had perhaps been unconsciously hungering for a ball game since the days of Nausicaa now found that they could play. (Young 295) Victorian Parlor Rooms Effect Gameplay Louise L. Stevenson, a history professor at Marshall College, provides an illustration of a first floor plan by George E. Woodward, circa 18653. The floor plan shows a typical Victorian parlor room that takes up roughly one-fourth of the homes first floor. The aforementioned floor plan is a clear representation of the fact that Victorians valued Parlor life in their homes. Stevenson goes on to write that, Victorians could not have been Victorians without their parlors. (1) Stevenson makes the point that families assembled in the parlor to entertain themselves and others through conversation, playing games, (1) among other amusements. The parlor was a serious place for serious activities, which suggests that games were taken very seriously during the Victorian Age. The typical floor plan and Stevensons assertions highlight the importance of the parlor in Victorian social life. The following two examples support the assertion that Victorian values effected parlor gameplay:

! Victorian Pictures Are Worth A Thousand Words Stevenson provides two illustrations of Victorian family life in the parlor. In one example, President Lincoln and his family are portrayed in an 1867 lithograph with his family in the parlor. Stevenson writes that it is the artists intention to fuse parlor life with union ideals. (18) In another example photograph provided by Stevenson, a family is photographed playing a game around a large table in their parlor room3. Anecdotal Evidence Of Victorian Parlor Gaming Life As a means of recording Victorian home life, Peel observes one familys activities and writes that, after dinner the family settled down to their reading, writing, music copying, round games, or fancy work, in the parlor (Young 98). Peels reference to round games suggests that the family was playing racetrack games in the parlor. Book Publishers Take Advantage Of Victorian Leisure Time And Develop Gameplay That Reflect Victorian Values The mainstay of everyday parlor activity was reading. (Stevenson 22) Stevenson continues by stating that, a distinguishing characteristic of Victorian intellectual life was the social nature of reading. (23) Based on the authors statements, it is safe to assert that Victorians valued reading to a high degree. With steam-powered printing presses available to book companies and mass production in full swing, book publishers took advantage of the Victorian penchant to leisurely read books. Historians agree that the invention of linotype and falling paper and ink prices brought down the price of books5. Historians also assert that the abundance of the literary marketplace was a recent phenomenon dating from the mid nineteenth century3. Ethnological evidence suggests that the game publishing industry owes its origins to the book publishing industry. The Victorian demand for literature coupled with the dwindling price of books led to the formation of a strong publishing business model that eventually gave rise to a relatable game publishing industry. Bruce Whitehill, a respected game historian, writes that games could reach a larger portion of the population, and become a staple in more homes, because of the benefits of mass production8. Whitehill goes on to write that, Games were inexpensive enough to be affordable by the less affluent. (116) Additionally, game publishers incorporated Victorian values associated with physical lawn gaming and reading literature into their earliest games. Rise Of The Game Publishing Industry A noted game ethnologist, Caroline, G. Goodfellow, writes that, The publishers of many of these games were already established producers of maps and books. (70) Goodfellow continues by asserting that the board

! game publishers owed their rise and existence to the technology available to them, along with high demand for amusements from the Victorians7. Board Games Reflecting Victorian Values The aforementioned Allison Family Budget suggests that Victorians with leisure time and disposable income tended to use their parlor for social activities. The following games are excellent examples of publishers catering the gameplay of their products to suit Victorian values: Pillow Dex Tennis Published by Parker Brothers in 1897, the game promises players that they will experience gameplay that is, Healthful Fun for Indoors or Outdoors. (Hofer 121). By bringing the popular Victorian game of lawn tennis indoors, Parker Brothers served their customers social and physical gameplay values6. Gradmamas Improved Game Of Riddles The game was published in 1887 by one of the most prolific Victorian game publishers, the McLoughlin Brothers. The cover of the box shows a family answering riddles in a parlor room, which suggests that the gameplay taps into Victorian family values6. Mother Gooses Party Or The Merry Game Of Old Maid The McLoughlin Brothers produced the game during the same year of Grandmamas Improved Game of Riddles, and the gameplay, which centers around literary snippets of fairytales6, suggests that the publishers produced this game as a way of satisfying the Victorian value for literary exploration. A Word On Hoyles Contribution To Game Development Edmond Hoyle is famous for writing a treatise for rules on several games, including Chess, Backgammon, and Whist9. Several rulebooks owe their lineage to Hoyles works and a Victorian game owes its popularity in large part to Hoyle. Because Hoyle set the proverbial standard in game rulebook writing, nineteenth century game publishers were able to print reliable rulebooks that conveyed appropriately staged game mechanics to Victorian game players. Hoyles work impacted game development by setting a standard for rulebook writing and by demonstrating how well written game rules can make a game popular. Rulebooks Setting The Standard Although authors prior to Hoyles time had written rulebooks, it was his The Compleat Gamester that set the standard for rulebook writing9. A brief stroll through a library or bookstore will yield several books with his name included in their titles. Although modern books are not directly the result to Hoyles pen, they are his descendents9.

The Wildly Popular Game Of Whist According to one source, the game of Whist was extremely popular during the Victorian Age10. The game of Whist owes its popularity in large part to A Short Treatise on the Game of Whist, which was written by Hoyle in the eighteenth century10. Conclusion The Victorian Age was a period in history marked by the rise of the middle class citizenry. The advent of mass production led to more jobs for working class families on both sides of the Atlantic. As the middle class grew, so did their pocket books, and most importantly, their leisure time. With more time to spend in their parlors, Victorians had time to rekindle their ancient social birthright of playing games. An emphasis on physical fitness grew during the Victorian Age and middle class gentry enjoyed outdoor physical activity on perfectly manicured lawns that resembled those of the aristocracy. Some of the most popular outdoor lawn games during the Victorian Age were lawn tennis and croquet, both of which influenced games produced by a fledgling nineteenth century game industry. Parlor games and reading was a staple in Victorian homes. Families gathered in the parlor to play games and reinforce values they held dear, such as family values, literacy, and physical fitness. Victorians were voracious readers. The invention of the steam powered printing press and other market factors allowed book manufacturers to publish books and games that could be sold to meet the demand of the growing Victorian middle class. Eventually, book publishers took notice of the Victorian demand for entertainment. With profits in mind, book publishers took advantage of the increased Victorian middle class and published games and rulebooks that reflected the Victorian values of the time period. Edmond Hoyle also contributed to the standardization and popularization of games during the Victorian Age. In conclusion, anecdotal, literary, and historical evidence strongly suggests that Victorian values effected how publishers developed gameplay. Additionally, nineteenth century game companies owe their very existence to the Victorian demand for amusements in their parlors.

Works Cited 1. Young, Gerard Mackworth. Early Victorian England: 1830-1865. Oxford: University, 1951. Print. 2. Reader, W. J. Life in Victorian England. London: Batsford, 1964. Print. 3. Stevenson, Louise L. The Victorian Homefront: American Thought and Culture, 18601880. New York: Twayne, 1991. Print. 4. Schlereth, Thomas J. Victorian America: Transformations in Everyday Life, 18761915. New York, NY: HarperCollins, 1991. Print. 5. Husband, Julie, and Jim O'Loughlin. Daily Life in the Industrial United States, 18701900. Westport, CT: Greenwood, 2004. Print. 6. Hofer, Margaret K. The Games We Played: the Golden Age of Board & Table Games. New York: Princeton Architectural, 2003. Print. 7. Goodfellow, Caroline G. "The Development of the English Board Game, 1770-1850." Board Game Studies 1 (1998): 70-80. Print. 8. Whitehill, Bruce. "American Games: A Historical Perspective." Board Game Studies 2 (1999): 116-41. Print. 9. "Edmond Hoyle." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Edmond_Hoyle>. 10. "Whist." Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Nov. 2010. <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Whist>.