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Just learned the first board game patent was for a game called 'The Mansion of Happiness' in 1843.
I read it on a plaque at the Strong Museum of Play in Rochester. Kinda wild to think people have been patenting games for that long, what's the oldest game you've actually played?
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finley9397d ago
Wait, they had PATENTS back in 1843? That's the part that blows my mind. I guess I figured that stuff was way more modern. The oldest game I've played is probably checkers, but that feels like cheating because it's ancient.
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stellafisher6d ago
The US patent office opened in 1790. They gave patent number one for a potash process. So yeah, by 1843 it was a normal system. Checkers isn't cheating, it's just old. The real surprise is how fast they set up that legal stuff after the revolution.
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