David Parlett's introduction to

BOARD GAME STUDIES

The International Board Game Studies Association

World games

The BGSA is an international, interdisciplinary, and informal group of academics and field researchers devoted to the history and development of board games throughout the world. Its members meet and communicate regularly with one another, but there is no formal membership structure or subscription or central address. This unofficial BGSA page is part of the website of David Parlett, one of the associates (email: games at parlett dot eu)

The Association holds research seminars every year, usually in April or May, meeting each time in a different country. They are occasions on which scholars, academics, curators, and others involved in games research in the international community share thoughts and findings on various aspects of board games and their study. Participants include archaeologists, anthropologists, historians, psychologists, educationalists, authors, game inventors, collectors, and representatives of games publishers and manufacturers. Papers arising out of the colloquia are published in its journal "Board Game Studies". These events began as Board Games in Academia, following a preliminary gathering in 1990 in England hosted by Dr Irving Finkel, Assistant Keeper of the British Museum's Department of Western Asiatic Antiquities.

For previous presentations and new articles see the Board Game Studies Online Journal Past issues of the formerly printed BGS journal can be found in Associação Ludus. An online forum, bgs4ever, is hosted by Google groups.

(Below) Regular contributors (hover over to identify")