Board Game Science

BBC Inside Science

BBC

Technology, Science

4.5 • 1.3K Ratings

🗓️ 23 January 2025

⏱️ 29 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

It’s that time of the year when many of us are at home with friends and family, losing track of time, eating leftovers, and, of course, playing games.

This festive season, we look at the science of games and, of course, play some ourselves.

It’s presenter Marnie Chesterton versus producer Florian Bohr at Marnie's kitchen table.... Who will win the Inside Science games special?

Irving Finkel from the British Museum tells Marnie about the Royal Game of Ur, one of the most ancient board games which is strikingly similar to more modern examples of race games. Also, why we play games with author and neuroscientist Kelly Clancy, and why we struggle to comprehend the randomness of dice with author Tim Clare.

To finish it off, mathematician Marcus du Sautory explains the geometry behind the game Dobble and leaves listeners with a Christmas puzzle: Can you figure out the symbols on the two missing Dobble cards?

If you think you’ve found the solution, please email [email protected]

Presenter: Marnie Chesterton Producers: Florian Bohr Editor: Martin Smith Production Co-ordinator: Jana Bennett-Holesworth    To discover more fascinating science content, head to bbc.co.uk search for BBC Inside Science and follow the links to The Open University.

Transcript

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0:00.0	The Traitors is back and so is that mysterious cloaked figure with the familiar fringe.
0:06.7	Yeah, it's me.
0:07.9	And when you've watched Claudia in the castle, join me, Ed Gamble, for the official visualised companion podcast.
0:13.7	And remember, I'll be listening.
0:15.9	Okay?
0:16.7	No, seriously, I love it.
0:18.5	What a faithful.
0:19.7	We'll unpack betrayals and spill scandalous secrets with celeb guests, traitors' legends,
0:25.0	and murdered and banished players.
0:27.1	The Traitors Uncloaked.
0:28.4	Watch on EyePlayer, listen for more on BBC Sounds.
0:33.1	BBC Sounds, music, radio, podcasts.
0:37.2	Well done for downloading this podcast of BBC Inside Science, which first aired on Boxing Day.
0:46.0	Seasonal cheers from the Inside Science team, and I hope you've settled in for the most important bit of this holiday.
0:52.3	Yes, that week between Christmas and New Year,
0:55.3	where you lose track of time, potter about eating leftovers and hang out with family and friends,
1:00.4	we've reached peak board game season. And in honour of that, Inside Science is devoting the whole
1:06.0	show to the subject of games. Coming up over the next half hour. The oldest board game that still has its
1:13.2	instructions, and the man who found them, we discover how games shape us and why we love them. Game
1:19.4	connoisseur and author Tim Clare shares our complex relationship with simple dice, and mathematician
1:25.7	Marcus de Sotois explains the unfinished geometry of a common card game.
1:30.9	And because we thought we should gamify this show, let me introduce you to my compadre and
	...

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