AROUND THE WORLD IN 80 PLAYS
This month, The Netherlands
Today we’re hopping northeast across the Atlantic from last month’s trip to Peru, to the maritime climates of the Netherlands. This densely populated land of historic canals and ingenious architecture boasts a reasonably rich gaming history spread across several centuries, but there’s one particular moment that is perhaps most indicative of the country’s longstanding gaming culture.
In the year 1560, Dutch Renaissance artist Pieter Bruegel the Elder painted his famous work ‘Children’s Games’. This oil on wood masterpiece – currently on display at the Kunsthistorisches Museum in Vienna – depicts over 230 children engaging in an encyclopaedic depiction of no less than 83 games. Whilst many of these are common scenes of outdoor play (barring perhaps the examples of poking a turd with a stick and public urination), a few children can be seen playing knucklebones, marbles, and other dexterity-based games. Aside from merely compiling these childish pastimes, Bruegel’s painting also suggests that the act of playing bears as much significance as the activities of adults – a fair summation given the enduring importance of ‘play’ today.
In the following century, the Netherlands first saw the import of the classic Game of the Goose or Ganzenbord in Dutch. Whilst its origins are unknown, Dutch players enjoyed its simple roll and move mechanics, often using it for mathematic education. The game consists of a board depicting 63 spaces in a spiral formation, two dice, and individual player pieces. Players must proceed along the board whilst adhering to rules of spaces containing shortcuts or penalties, with the winner being the first player to reach the 63rd space. Many lovingly illustrated versions of the game exist, including a ‘History of the Netherlands’ edition produced in 1822, detailing the politically tumultuous period from the arrival of the Batavians in 1795 to the peace of Paris in 1815.
Later games prevalent in the Netherlands include Slabberjan and Sjoelen. The origins of Slabberjan is estimated to be around the late 1700s, shortly after the banning of playing cards. Notably, the game mirrors the earlier game of Gnav, albeit replacing traditional cards with attractive wooden pawns with pictures or numbers hidden on the bottom. Players aim to have the highest value pawns they can, often through blind swapping, with the player possessing the lowest value losing points and possibly being eliminated.
The popular shuffleboard-type game Sjoelen appeared later, toward the end of the 19th century.
Incorporating a grand two metre long table, players thrust their pucks up the board aiming for the four numbered arches at the other end. Extra points are scored for collecting sets of four in the arches, making even the lowest numbered arch worthy of attention. The game maintains its popularity today, with championships being held every two years. It also featured in an episode of The Simpsons.
The Netherlands’ contemporary gaming scene continues to make a splash in the wider hobby, largely thanks to Splotter Games. Founded in 1997 and now co-run by Jeroen Doumen and Joris Wiersinga, Splotter Games are famous for their ‘deep, complicated strategy games’ such as Food Chain Magnate and Indonesia. From their humble beginnings packaging games in video boxes, the company has grown - but not by much. Small print-runs are still a mainstay of Splotter Games, making these critically acclaimed designs notoriously hard to come by. Similarly small in scale is the one-man publisher at Cwali Corné van Moorsel, whose Kickstarters for tile-layers Factory Funner and Habitats saw great success and critical acclaim.
The pedigree of games produced by regional publishers, paired with their scarcity has conjured an almost mythical status for some of the country’s best titles. Furthermore, whilst their design output has largely dodged the mainstream, the Netherlands have nonetheless demonstrated an enduring connection to the importance of play. *