Expert: PD - 2/25/2002

Question
Which one of these games is the oldest?

Chutes and Ladders
Go to the Head of the Class
Stratego
Candyland
Mouse Trap

Answer
Hi Jay!

Answer: Chutes and Ladders is a contemporary update of the pedagogical Christian boardgame Snakes and Ladders, published in 1870 and one of the first boardgames produced in the U.S.

Your utterly random progress through the game is assisted and hampered by climbing up ladders and sliding down chutes. Ladders are framed by good deeds (such as rescuing a cat from a tree) and Chutes by bad deeds (such as disastrously dangerous bicycle tricks).

As you struggle to reach that final square of redemption, the narrative geometry of the board conflates ethics with mathematics. The moral: follow the rules, roll the die, move your piece, and trust in the Higher Order to mete out your rewards and punishments.

Regards,

Paul