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All Episodes of Games Britannia

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Historian Benjamin Woolley unravels the cultural and social significance of popular games in Britain from the Iron Age to the Information Age.
Genre:Documentary
Network:BBC Four
Select Season:

Season 1

  • Dicing with Destiny
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    Dicing with Destiny

    Season 1 Episode 1 - Aired 12/7/2009

    Games held a spiritual element from ancient times that by the late Middle Ages gave way to gambling. Victorian backlash against dice and card games sought to reposition games as moral educational tools.

    Director: Simon Chu

    Writer: N/A

  • Monopolies and Mergers
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    Monopolies and Mergers

    Season 1 Episode 2 - Aired 12/14/2009

    Britain exported the moral instructional board game to America, where it was adapted to celebrate wealth and free enterprise in the best-selling game Monopoly. Cluedo, Scrabble, and Monopoly went on to become enduring British family favourites post-war. In the 1980s game development began turning toward fantasy role-playing and computer games.

    Director: Simon Chu

    Writer: N/A

  • Joystick Generation
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    Joystick Generation

    Season 1 Episode 3 - Aired 12/21/2009

    Fantasy role-playing games developed predominantly in America while the British begin turning their attention to computer games. From early titles like Elite to popular characters like Lara Croft who broke out into the wider entertainment world, Britain's video games harnessed the power of our imagination. The Internet age propelled us to today, where our morality is tested in the world of Grand Theft Auto, and our digital selves interact with virtual realms like Runescape and World of Warcraft.

    Director: Dan Tucker

    Writer: N/A