WHAT’S IN A GAME?
THE POWERS OF TOWERS
We all know games are good for us, but in what way? Each month Tim Clare untangles the science and philosophy behind what makes games good
Words by Tim Clare
In 1985, archaeologists excavating a Roman villa in Germany discovered several pieces of copperalloy plate. They subsequently found these plates fitted together to form a miniature turret, complete with a flight of steps at the bottom and three slanted platforms in its hollow interior. They had found a 1,600-year-old dice tower.
The Vettweiss-Frotzheim Dice Tower – as it is now known – is identical in its core design to the ones I showed my 6-year-old daughter at a recent games convention. The Romans more or less nailed dice tower technology in the 4thCentury, the projecting baffles ensuring dice turn in a functionally random way on their clattering passage to the exit. In fact, if anything, our modern dice towers are slightly less flash – the archaeologists concluded the original had bells hanging over the steps that would jingle as the dice rolled out (one of which survived). In addition, the front of the tower bears the slogan: