A Brief History of the Board Game “Risk”

Board games have been around longer than most people realize. A 5,000 year-old Backgammon game was discovered in Iran. The game was also the oldest known to have used dice. Chess was introduced in 1000 A.D. However, the first tournaments were not documented until 1851. Monopoly was first played in 1903. But, the game was originally called The Landlord’s Game. Parker Brothers released the updated version called Monopoly in 1933. The military strategy game of “Risk” has been around since the 1950s and also has a fascinating history.

Parker Brothers became affiliated with a French company called Miro in the 1950s. In 1957, a representative of the company approached Parker Brothers with the concept of a game they desired to name “La Conquete du Monde,” which translates to “The Conquest of the World.” The first game was designed by film director and writer Albert Lamorisse. At the same time, Lamorisse and Micheal Levin came up with the design for the game that would become known as “Risk.”

Parker Brothers published the game as “Risk Continental” in the United States in 1959. The name was later changed to “Risk: the Game of Global Domination.” The original game was similar to the French version but underwent a few modifications.

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