There was a time when people stayed off their phones, at home and played board games with their family and friends. It was called Game Night and believe it or not, people actually looked forward to it.
To celebrate our Game Night In Canada Collection, we’re taking a closer look at some of the best board games that originate from Canada.
Crokinole
Crokinole is a unique board game that was invented in Canada in the late 1800s. The game involves players flicking discs across a circular board in an attempt to score points and knock their opponent's discs off the board. If you’ve played, you know the pain of flicking a disc a little bit too hard.
Trivial Pursuit
This classic trivia game was created in Canadian friends Chris Haney and Scott Abbott the 70s. Now Trivial Pursuit is household name and has been translated into over 20 languages. It has sold over 100 million copies worldwide and has spawned numerous spin-off games and editions. Prior to their success as game makers, Haney was an editor for the Montreal Gazette and Abbott was a journalist with the Canadian Press.
Scott Abbott and Chris Haney. Canada Library and Archives E011050027-V8
Pictionary
This charades-inspired drawing game was invented by Canadian Robert Angel and launched in the mid-80s. Pictionary has since become a popular party game, with numerous editions and variations available, great for people of all ages and artistic abilities.
Balderdash
Invented in Toronto in the 80s by locals Laura Robinson and Paul Tyron, this game is hours of laughs. Players make up fake answers for obscure questions and then try to guess the correct one among all the made-up ones. The name itself means “senseless talking or nonsense.”
Yahtzee
We had to give Yahtzee an honourable mention. As the rumour goes, it was invented by a wealthy Canadian couple who played the game on their yacht. It was first brought to the game market by the E.S. Lowe Company in the US in late 50s. The game was originally called "The Yacht Game" and was later renamed Yahtzee.
