Games that last Forever

I played chess this weekend in the Colorado Open - and won 4 of 5 games, placing 3rd in my division.  That's pretty exciting for me as I've never done that good before.

Rooks have all the fun.
photo credit: Alejandra Mavroski via photo pin cc

Some forms of entertainment last a long time, historically speaking.  There are stories being told now that were first told centuries or even millenia ago.  Some games have lasted that long as well - Chess was probably played over 1,500 years ago in some form, and Go was played in ancient china at least 2,500 years ago.  Connect-Four has been around for almost 40 years, and was first published the same year as D&D - 1974.

Clearly, the odds of OD&D being played in 4500 A.D. are somewhat similar to the odds of Liubo making a sudden comeback, but I'd like to think that the format will still be around.  Dice games, board games, token games - these game formats have probably been around since the dawn of humanity.  Roleplaying is a combination of drama and dice (and boards, cards, or tokens for some folks), so it makes sense that it will evolve and continue to live on as long as humans exist.

So it's great to be in at the early stages.  If I had a time machine, I'd love to see what RPGs look like a few thousand years from now.  Maybe they will take place in holodecks, or in little pocket universes created just to host the fantasy world.  I'd love either one of those - it's easier to roleplay being afraid of a dragon when the monstrous beast is right there in front of you, rather than your 13-year old kid brother pretending to be fierce.

Gotta watch out for those safety protocols though.