Book 19 of 2025 - ☑️! Thank you to NetGalley, Tantor Audio and Tim Clare for an ALC of Across The Board: How Games Make Us Human by Tim
Clare and narrated by Richard Trinder in exchange for my honest review.

I grew up playing board games with my family on a weekly basis - it’s something I love. Whether it’s connecting with someone for the first time about a game, or playing a game with friends and family, I’m usually down for game night. I’m also fortunate enough to live near FLGS Geeky Teas and an awesome game bar that has delicious food: Guildhall.

Across The Board: How Games Make Us Human is an educational and historical look about how many board games have influenced humans throughout history. I’ll admit, it took me a minute to adjust to Trinder’s narration mostly because it felt so animated - I was expecting something slightly more subdued for a book of this nature - though I did end up enjoying it. Clare brings up some interesting tidbits, though having read and watched a few other things about the history of board games, I was aware of most of it. That said, if this is your first foray into the history of board games, I’d recommend the book.

3/5 ⭐️ overall. Now, what to play this weekend… 🤔🤔🤔
#NetGalley #AcrosstheBoard 🎲 ♟️ 🃏

As a huge boardgame lover, this book was so fun and full of interesting information. Highly recommend for anyone who loves boardgames!

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book.

As someone who teaches a course in Escape Rooms and Puzzles, hoping to not only make students better thinkers and communicators, but also to help them understand the value of games and play- this was really awesome!

I think that listening to this audiobook feels a lot like listening to a podcast and can certainly be listened to in bits and chunks, which I really enjoyed!

A nonfiction about games?! Yes please.

This goes over history of games where they began, how they impacted life and continue to do so. It also covered a few specific games and the importance to different communities.
I ate this up.
I thought it was well done and was happy it went over weaknesses in the gaming community and well as strengths.

Thanks to netgalley and Tantor audio for an alc

A must-read for board game lovers, this book goes beyond the usual stories—like the true origins of Monopoly—and dives into lesser-known histories, including a possible Native American influence. I especially loved learning about Karuta, a Japanese game where players race to slap cards matching lines of poetry. The only downside is the abrupt ending: the author's discovery of being autistic is compelling but feels disconnected from the board game theme. Still, it’s a fascinating, fun read for anyone passionate about games.

Across the Board: How Games Make Us Human by Tim Clare explores how games—from chess to Monopoly to Magic: The Gathering—have shaped cultures and connected people throughout history. He examines the roles games play as both recreation and ritual, highlighting their universal presence in human society. Using both history and his own personal gaming experiences, Clare illustrates how games foster connection, community, and shared experience, emphasizing their foundational role in what makes us human.

I thought this was a fun, insightful look at why games matter and how they make us more human. I appreciated the commentary on the psychological and sociological aspects of engaging in gaming. I listened to the audiobook, narrated by Richard Trinder, and thought he did a fine job. This book is a great read for game nerds who want to learn more about the history of this hobby, however be aware it does have some chapters that get a bit information-dense.

Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for granting me a complimentary advanced reader copy of the audiobook. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and based off of this draft; the final publication may be different. Expected publication date is May 6, 2025.

(3.5) A deep dive into the history and heart of tabletop games, this book explores how rolling dice and playing cards have always been part of what makes us human - and as someone who loves board games, TCGs, and roleplay, I was definitely the right audience. I learned a lot listening to this, but I’ll be honest... some chapters (especially the long one on the history of playing cards) had me zoning out a bit. My favorite parts were the sections that covered games I actually play, and the audiobook was really well done overall.

Thank you NetGalley for the E-ARC 🎲📚

Thank you to Tantor Audio and Netgalley for the ALC of this book!

I gave this book a try, it is not my usual genre but I do love board games! I enjoyed hearing the history and origins of board games and how they brought people together even back to the early days of civilization. I like that he connects games back to books/scribes/etc. B.C. Very cool! It was a little hard for me to follow at times, so I took off stars for that.

I think Richard Trinder did a wonderful job narrating this book. His intonation was great.

3/5 stars.

This a fun read for anyone interested in the history of games and how games affect community, culture, and our ability to interact with others! The author does a great job of including a lot of information and describing different games without becoming dry and feeling like an instruction manual.

Thanks to NetGalley and RBmedia for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!

What a fun read, how often to people say that about non-fiction? My D&D party and coworkers at my library know all about how much I enjoyed this book, well before I finished it.

"Across the Board" by Tim Clare is a fun and light microhistory read/ listen that my geeky board game loving mind enjoyed!