There was a time when the rules of gaming interaction were simple:
 
 1.    Don’t throw the game board across the room just because you were losing.
 2.    Don’t hit your sister just because you were losing.
 3.    Don’t dance around the room chanting “I Won! I Won!” just because you won.
 
 These rules still apply, of course, but the world of gaming has become significantly more complicated. The following 10 Commandments of Modern Gaming will help you through any gaming event, whether it is a card game competition, a LAN party, or a quiet night at home with the family.
 
 1.    Thou Shalt not commit violence over a game. It is just a game.
 2.    Thou Shalt not speak profanity during a game. The classic swear words are bad, as are the following: Jock, Nazi, Idiot, Loser, and Newbie. These are massive insults, and should be avoided.
 3.    Thou Shalt be a good winner and a gracious loser. Thou shalt play, even if the game chosen is not your favorite, so that others will play your favorite.
 4.    Thou Shalt not speak while the event coordinator is speaking. Whether they are explaining the rules or telling you where the bathrooms are, you should be quiet and listen to them.
 5.    Thou Shalt not create or use pre-established pacts with other players, unless the game is a team game in the first place.
 6.    Thou Shalt Shower before coming to the event. Enough Said.
 7.    Thou Shalt bring a snack to share with the table. This is appreciated and wins you favor, which you can use against them later.
 8.    Thou Shalt thank the host, so they will host again.
 9.    Thou Shalt help the host clean up, so they will host again.
 10.    Thou Shalt, above all, enjoy yourself and have fun, as it is a game and should be enjoyed as such.

From early in their history until about five years ago, most Table Top RPG’s (such as Dungeons and Dragons) were known as “Pen and Paper Games.” Although the occasional gadget or dry erase board was sold for gamers, the bulk of the genre was played using a pencil and paper. The character sheets, the monster information, the maps, the treasure, all was recorded, written, or drawn on paper.
 
 In the last five years, however, computers and other technology have changed the industry dramatically. Many players bring their character on a laptop. Some of the publishing companies have even developed Character Generators for their subscribers, easing the process of building and maintaining a character. Online databases make the Game Master’s (GM) job easier as well.
 
 What, then, will the future hold?
 
 Following the foreseeable paths, table top gaming will be affected by several things:
 
 Handheld Devices: Rather than carrying around pencil and paper, each player will keep their character on a cell phone. These will link wirelessly, and the GM will be able to see and alter the stats of each of their players.
 
 Improved Communication: While teleconferencing has already been used for gaming, the improvements and developments that come from this in the next ten years will make it much easier to play with your friend in England and your buddy on study abroad in India.
 
 3D rendering and computerized maps: Gamers will be able to bring up maps and images, adjust or tweak them, and display them in full color and 3D across the gaming table. This will make three dimensional combat easier to get your mind around.
 The game itself will probably still be the same. No dice roller could replace the visceral clunk of a critical hit, or the fear of the GM rolling too many dice.

Although most people believe that Dungeons and Dragons is the first role-playing game, they are incorrect. In 1966 the Society for Creative Anachronisms, or SCA, was established. The group formed to protest against the vulgarity of the 20th century. They published a “how-to” guide in 1968 and had fully established their first three “kingdoms” by the end of 1969. This was the first real attempt to develop the act of playing specific roles for the entertainment of the individual.

Then, in 1974 Gary Gygax and Dave Arneson, two avid War-games players, decided to attempt to use their war-gaming figures on an individual level, and have each player run a single character. They developed and sold the game Dungeons and Dragons. Since then, this game has gone through several evolutions, and is currently in its Fourth Edition (which is actually something like the sixth or seventh iteration, depending on how you count).

Early Dungeons and Dragons was a very imbalanced game; the fighter and the wizard were by no means equal at any point, as the fighter excelled in early levels and the wizard (if he lived long enough) was supreme at higher levels. Steve Jackson sought to correct this issue, and developed a new and massive system, GURPS (Generic Universal Role Playing System), in 1986.

Many critics of these systems see them as system based, while the emphasis should be on the story and the players roles. White Wolf Studios created Vampire: The Masquerade, to be a story-oriented system, significantly simplifying the rules and forcing the players to act and describe details in order to fulfill objectives.

Finally, Indie Gaming has grown to a new height. These are games developed and published by small companies, often given away or sold at very low mark up, such as Cheap Ass Games.

Due to the nature of board games, tracing a specific history is impossible. Board games are seen in records and archeology as early as Predynastic Egypt, and have stuck with us ever since. As a result, the History of Board Games should be divided into a few categories: Ancient games, Classic Games, and Modern Games.
 
 Ancient Games – Many of the ancient games we have today (or have records of), are those which were played by the social elite. Although the first game seems to be an early version of Chess, games such as Go, Mancala and Backgammon also found early popularity. Through the years, Chess developed through dozens of iterations, ranging from as few as eight pieces per player to as many as twenty! It was a very long time before one “correct” version took world domination, approximately 5000 years.
 
 Classical Games – These are the games that were introduced and rose to worldwide popularity in the early 20th century. Monopoly, Risk, Clue, and so on. These games were published mass market, and are almost all still available today. Each has had several versions of it created, such as Risk 2020. Monopoly in particular has had dozens (if not hundreds) of versions, from Cat-opoly to Basketball-opoly. They tend to have few if any changes to the actual rules, but the names of each property differ based on the theme.  
 
 Modern Games – In the last 20 years, a great revolution occurred in the world of board games. Focus shifted from the massive American conglomerates to smaller, independent European games. These tend to focus on strategy and diplomacy, and reduce the luck factor significantly. Although many still use either dice or cards, luck is less relevant to who wins. These games include Ticket to Ride, Settlers of Catan, and Carcassonne.

For Console Video Games, the evolution of the industry is defined by the system the game was produced for. Each set of platforms is referred to as a Generation.
 
 First Generation: The Magnavox Odyssey was the first console system developed. It took 6 years to develop and sell. First sold in 1972, few today would be willing to play games as simple as these. Still, they sold over 2 million copies.
 
 Second Generation: The Video Entertainment System (1977) brought the advent of the programmable cartridge, so each game was sold separately. Later renamed the Atari, this was generally considered to be the first true Console.
 
 Third Generation: The Nintendo Entertainment System (1983) was the first system developed in Japan rather than America. The system was bundled with Super Mario Bros, a masterful marketing move.
 
 Fourth Generation: Sega really enters the market in 1987, with the Genesis. They faced a prompt response from Nintendo with the Super NES. The primary innovation this generation is 3D rendering, in games like Star Fox.
 
 Fifth Generation: The first Playstation is developed and brought into production, and quickly rises to popularity, primarily because they used CD’s rather than cartridges. Nintendo responded with the N64, which made First Person Shooters a major hit.
 
 Sixth Generation: Driven by the Playstation 2 and the Xbox, these platforms brought the advent of online, interactive, multiplayer technology.
 
 Seventh Generation: With the Playstation 3, the Wii, and the Xbox 360 all competing for market leadership, this generation has been one of the most competitive. Two major changes are the introduction of Motion Controls and the significant increase of alternate controllers, with games such as Rock Band and Guitar Hero.
 
 Throughout these generations, consoles grew in graphics capacity and total memory available, making each generation of games look better than the last.

When examining the world of gaming, it is important to recognize that many kinds of games exist, so there are many kinds of gamers. Most gamers play multiple types, although most tend to favor a specific genre. The following types are broad categories:
 
 Casual Games: These are the games that are played casually, for a short time here and there. They are technically board games, card games, or computer games, but are created with non-gamers in mind. Examples include Uno, Clue, or Tetris.
 
 Card Games: These are games which primarily include cards, without a board. Game mechanics tend to focus on the randomness of the deck. Examples include gambling games, like poker or blackjack, and more technical games such as Bohnanza or Guillotine.
 
 Board Games: These games are those played with a board. From classics like Monopoly and Risk to European games like Ticket to Ride, these games have grown significantly in popularity in the last few years, particularly with a few best sellers which reignited interest in the genre.
 
 Live Games: These are games that are played in person, by the individual. Some of these are also classified as sports, such as bowling, while others are not, like live action role playing or paintball tournaments.
 
 Video/Computer Games: Although many console gamers and computer gamers disagree with this, as a broad category these fit together. These are the games that are played on a screen, whether it is World of Warcraft or Left for Dead. There are several subcategories here, including First Person Shooters, Real Time Strategy, Simulation, and Role-playing Games, just to name a few.
 
 Table Top Games: These are a specific kind of role-playing game, most famous for Dungeons and Dragons, although there are now dozens of other games. The focus here is usually teamwork, creativity, and role-playing.