Solitaire: A History of Patience
To the casual observer, solitaire tends to appear as a childishly simple game that requires little more than a willingness to move cards around in sleepy, aimless ways. In reality, though, the game has depth. It wouldn’t have the fanatical following that it does if it really was simple.
No one really knows how old solitaire is
The exact nature of the origins of solitaire are unclear to those who study its history. Some historians believe that solitaire was played as early as the 16th century. They have some proof in written records that make references to it. Other historians do not accept those records as meaningful. To them, the earliest believable record of the game’s existence comes in the form of a gaming book published in Germany in the year 1783, called Das neue Königliche L’Hombre-Spiel. Back then, the game went by the name Patience. Since earlier gaming compendiums do not include a mention of this game, they are certain that it could not have existed before then.
Some historians take a completely different view — they believe that solitaire began not as a card game, but as a tool used by fortune-tellers. Whenever the game may have got its start, it has been popular ever since. Mentions of solitaire appear in Charles Dickens’ Great Expectations and in War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy.
In all likelihood, solitaire has existed in some form for millennia. Records exist that show that versions of the game have been played with dice or marbles for thousands of years.
Solitaire wasn’t always a single-player game
In the beginning, solitaire was played by multiple participants. The rules of the game weren’t very different from ones used in the modern version, though. Interestingly, the multiple-player idea has made a comeback. Online versions of solitaire such as Solitaire Arena now offer multiple players a chance to compete against one another.
The aim of a game of solitaire is simple enough: your task is to arrange the cards that you get dealt in a specific pattern. The method that you adopt to get to sort those cards, though, depends on the variant of the game that you have (by some accounts, there are more than 100 types).
Solitaire for the digital age
While solitaire has always been popular and well loved, it only became the worldwide phenomenon that it is today when Microsoft included a copy on its first graphical operating system, Windows 1.0. Now that the game is available on smartphones and tablets, solitaire has truly made the transition to the digital age.
Coming to terms with solitaire’s addictiveness
For as long as solitaire has existed, people have complained of the game’s addictive appeal. Now that fans always have a copy in their pockets, the complaints have been growing stronger.
The popularity of solitaire has meant that there have always been researchers willing to study the game and its effects on the brain. Their findings have usually pointed to solitaire’s beneficial effects. Among other things, solitaire aids in cognitive development and spatial visualization. Solitaire may be addictive; it isn’t bad for you, though.
Charles Becker enjoys learning about the histories of today’s most popular games. An avid blogger, he likes to sit down and share whatever he discovers by posting online. You can read his illuminating and fun articles on many of today’s top websites and blogs.
