The Checkered Game of Life

The Checkered Game of Life was invented by Milton Bradley in 1861. This was Bradley's first game. Bradley, a successful lithographer, whose major product was up til that time a portrait of Abraham Lincoln with a clean shaven face, which did not do very well once the subject grew his famous beard. The game sold 45,000 copies by the end of it's first year. Like many games from the 19th century, it had a strong moral message, such as the The Mansion of Happiness by S.B. Ives in 1843. Bradley's game did not include a die, but instead used a teetotum, a six sided top (dice were considered by many to be wicked items fit only for gamblers). The game board is essentially a modified checkerboard. The object is to land on the good spaces and collect 100 points. You can gain 50 points toward your goal by reaching "Happy Old Age" in the far corner, opposite "Infancy" where you begin. 1960 marked the one hundredth anniversary of the game, now known as The Game of Life. There have been many... full article at wikipedia