Life & fun · alternatives · 2026

24 alternatives to The Oxford History of Board Games

Investigates the myriad board games around the world

Below are 24 products that do a similar job, ranked by how close each is in meaning and then by launch-day votes. The Oxford History of Board Games launched in 2015; newer entries below may have overtaken it.

1. 1
   Britsoft: An Oral History▲53

   A collective story of the early British games industry

   2015 · readonlymemory.com · its alternatives →

2. 2
   The WikiGame▲58

   Explore and Race Through Wikipedia Articles

   2016 · thewikigame.com · its alternatives →

3. 3
   Theory of Fun for Game Design▲67

   Thoughts on the most important element of any game's design

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

4. 4
   Playing at the World▲54

   A history of simulating wars, people & fantastic adventures

   2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

5. 5
   Happy Mitten - 37: Board Games, Business, and Protospiel Ann Arbor▲51

   Interviews and play testing with designers and publishers

   2016 · happymittengames.com · its alternatives →

6. 6
   xkcd: Hooverboard▲78

   Explore the world of xkcd comics on a hooverboard

   2015 · xkcd.com · its alternatives →

7. 7
   How Games Move Us: Emotion by Design ▲70

   A look at how games make us feel

   2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

8. 8
   Board Game Manual▲88

   Rates boardgames on luck, player interaction & replayability

   2023 · bgmanual.com · its alternatives →

9. 9
   Games People Play▲65

   The basic handbook of transactional analysis

   2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

10. 10
    Journal 29: Interactive Book Game▲66

    An interactive book game of riddles and puzzles.

    2017 · journal29.com · its alternatives →

11. 11
    Magic▲66

    Explore the history of magic + magicians!

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

12. 12
    Happy Mitten - 33½: Board Games, Business, and Origins 2014▲51

    Interviews and highlights from the Origins Game Fair 2014

    2016 · happymittengames.com · its alternatives →

13. 13
    OneTrivia▲57

    Visual trivia game

    2016 · onetrivia.com · its alternatives →

14. 14
    Rulebook.io▲110

    Community-curated board game rules

    2017 · its alternatives →

15. 15
    The Great Beanie Baby Bubble▲77

    The history of the Beanie Baby bubble

    2015 · amazon.co.uk · its alternatives →

16. 16
    Perspectives in Play▲71

    Board games that teach pupils about politics

    2022 · perspectives-in-play.com · its alternatives →

17. 17
    1q▲70

    1w

    2016 · brandingmag.com · its alternatives →

18. 18
    Time Travel: A History▲63

    A meditation on exploring time, travel, and technology

    2016 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

19. 19
    21st Century Game Design▲83

    Who are we designing games for and how do we do it best?

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

20. 20
    Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter▲64

    An insightful & entertaining tour of the art of video games

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

21. 21
    Happy Mitten - 35: Board Games, Business, and Andrew Federspiel▲51

    Pulling off a career change into the board game industry

    2016 · happymittengames.com · its alternatives →

22. 22
    Happy Mitten - 39: Board Games, Business, and GenCon 2014▲52

    The motherlode of all board game industry interviews

    2016 · happymittengames.com · its alternatives →

23. 23
    Ender's Game▲93

    The enemy's gate is down

    2015 · amazon.com · its alternatives →

24. 24
    Board Game Choices▲14

    Board game recommendation tool

    2025 · its alternatives →

Ranked by how close each launch is in meaning, then by votes. Prices were read from each product’s own site when checked and can change. Refine with your own description →