Database of game information compiled by the Digital Ludeme Project.
The Digital Ludeme Project is a five-year research project involving the analysis and reconstruction of ancient and historical games from incomplete descriptions, artistic depictions, and archaeological evidence using modern computational techniques [1]. The project focuses on games that rewards mental acumen over physical skill. Generally, these broadly fit what are commonly known as board games, card games, and domino games. The goal of the project is to document 1,000 of these games which were important for the historical development of games, across the world, and throughout history. Some outliers, e.g. chance-based games such as Gyan Chaupar and the Game of the Goose that are still obviously culturally important.
To achieve this, a digital database of evidence for ancient and traditional games is required, drawing from multiple disciplines and in various formats; this is the first time that such a collection of evidence has been attempted for such a wide range of games and from such a wide range of perspectives and sources.This document describes how we are obtaining this data and storing it in a consistent format both for use within the Digital Ludeme Project and for the benefit of other researchers and practitioners, and how we are adopting FAIR principles to make this database as reliable, accessible and useful as possible