Hi, imagine ancient primitive village, without electricity, even drains, the simplest living in huts where you have to make the fire to warm up What kind of games these people play? I mean they have no paper, so they have no cards. They know anything about letters, they can make just basic things like roast a beef. How do they play? THX
Soccer (futbol/football) with the enemies head, throwing a stone ball through a hoop, polo with a goat skin, mammoth tipping.... Ancients had plenty of sports that set precedents for today's sports.
I think you might be surprised as to just how much one could create in the form of games with what nature provides. If they live where rivers have stony bottoms, then nature creates a spectacular assortment of playing tokens for all sorts of games. Stones in all colors and sizes, shaped and smoothed by time and the elements. Bones, particularly of the hands and feet make great playing tokens. Children are stunningly inventive and Mother Nature is generous. Take Senet for example. Though the ancient Egyptians created Senet gaming boards that were treasures in and of themselves for their beauty and artistry, the game could just as easily be played on squares scratched into the earth and found items used as playing tokens. The "dice" for Senet are just round sticks split down the long axis so as to have a curved and a flat side. How they fall, curved side up or flat side up, is what determines their value. Those could be made with the simplest of tools. Another thing to consider is that humans have been creating some pretty sophisticated objects for a really long time. If people had the inclination, the time, and the skill to create Venus Figurines as early as 35,000 years ago, just imagine what else they could have made with none of the mod cons.
Well, I'm looking for something less about individual, but more about worshiping the guy at the top of the village. In sports everyone is making the team, but depends on individuals of how good they really are. Also arts like making statue, its the masterpiece of somebody who really cares. But what if everybody have to be suspissious about everybody and the only trustworthy person is the leader? What kind of games they would play? Egyptians had gaming boards and tokens, you say? Well that sounds kind of awesome
Well, when I say 'tokens', I mean playing pieces like chessmen or chips for playing checkers. Not so much the object of the game to win, but the pieces with which to play.
Then my question is why is the situation this way? Why is there so much suspicion? Knowing the answer to this might help in thinking of a game that comes from the dynamic. And yes, the Egyptians played a game called Senet. This is the gaming board found in the tomb of Tutankhamen.
South american natives had a game similar to "soccer meets basketball" They would make two small circles, with roots, and place it in a vertical position; and a ball, made of animal skin. Two teams, they could not touch the ball with the hands or arms, and they must score by (surprise surprise) getting the ball to go through the circle. Instead of kicking, they usually hit the ball with their hips (don't know why). The best players were worshipped (as if their skill were a gift from the gods)
Many kinds of ball games (most similar to soccer, but not only) have been played since antiquity. Board games can be made with literally anything, even rocks and leaves. Jacks (traditionally made of finger and wrist bones), sporting events of any sort, hide and seek, dice games (dice can be made of bone and characters can even gamble away seashells or beads), all of these are known to have been in existence for thousands of years. Hunting and fishing can be considered pastimes too, even though they're necessary for survival. Do your people have the wheel? Or traction animals that they can somewhat train? If so, they can race. Also, I suppose you could make them play games like tic-tac-toe by writing with sticks on a dirt ground.
Think of something like Mancala. It could be played with small pebbles and digging holes in the dirt.
