Across the Board: How Games Make Us Human

Across the Board traces the evolution of tabletop games from ancient pastimes to modern phenomena, revealing how dice, cards, and boards have shaped human connection across cultures and centuries. The book examines games as both cultural artifacts and social rituals—played in polar research stations and Tanzanian villages, streamed to millions online, and gathering people in bars, cafés, and living rooms worldwide. It's a study of why we play and what games reveal about who we are.

Drawing on history, anthropology, and contemporary gaming culture, this exploration moves from the earliest known board games to today's tabletop renaissance. The narrative considers games as tools for teaching, bonding, and storytelling, showing how a simple roll of the dice or draw of a card creates moments of shared experience that transcend language and geography.