From Traditional to Modern Abstract Games

Discover how abstract strategy games evolved from pebbles and seeds to the modern esports thanks to their fascinating depth.

Traditional abstract games, those with perfect (or almost perfect) information and little or no randomness, evolved and inspired the modern board game industry such that it’s rare to see something novel nowadays.

Some mechanics change, new ideas emerge, yet at their core there is pure strategy, no luck. But what exactly stays the same? And what changes?

From Chess to Hive, from Go to Tumbleweed, from Oware to Kalah, they change their dress, but the motto is always: ‘simple to learn, hard to master’.

Abstract strategy games strip away luck and bluff, leaving only yourself and your opponent across the board.

From ancient boards scratched into stone to modern designs funded on Kickstarter, these games have shaped the way we think, compete, and problem-solve.

Why do some, like Chess and Go, last for centuries while others fade away? What do today’s designers do differently?

These are also great board games that can teach us a lot more than just strategic decision-making: we can learn about maths, history, psychology, philosophy, languages and computer science.

This talk explores how traditional abstract games have constantly reinvented themselves and we keep playing them today. Or at least, I hope you do, otherwise you’re missing out!

You can learn in 5 minutes and play a few of them in the morning at the stall before the talk. Come and ask any questions!

Recommended age 10+

Pay What You Can £3 / £5 / £7.50 / £10

The Auditorium, The Forum

Dr Francesco Salerno obtained his PhD in Chemistry at the Imperial College London and decided afterwards to use his science superpowers to popularise strategy board games as educational tools for kids and adults.

He teaches an evening course at Imperial College about the history, math and game design of abstract games and has a YouTube channel and podcast dedicated to Hive and other abstract strategy games.

He runs chess and mind sports clubs in elementary schools in London and runs Hive tournaments all over the world for Gen42.

He is part of Abstrakta, an international organisation through which he co-organised Mochalunt, the first world championship of abstract games for national teams.