Progress in Play: Board Games and the Meaning of History

I’m always impressed by the striking quality of designs from the early Soviet Union. It’s such a dramatic improvement over any of the other games that were shown, and not made all that much later.

It's remarkable to me how complex board games, like our society at large, have become over the past few decades. And the messages that are conveyed by the games. We assume the current state as "normal" but actually points to the remarkable progress of our society.

I'm playing "Chutes and Ladders" with my four year old, which is a direct derivation of a popular ancient Indian board game.

And I love the title of the Soviet game mentioned:

"Tuberculosis: A Proletarian Disease, Look After Your Health! The New Hygiene Game"

Interesting that the author namechecks novelists, journalists and folk-artists tangentially related to his subject, but in almost every case neglects to credit the designers and publishers of the games in the article, even though that information is printed on the boards themselves and can be read - just - in a couple of the images. Can he explain why he thinks it's appropriate to show respect to the creators of respectable artforms, but none for those who made the objects he's discussing?