Nigeria is one of only a few handful nations that relax through old, traditional games including board games. Board games are very popular in Nigeria and it is also quite evident since Nigerians perform exceptionally on international stages in different board games competitions.
Even before the advent of modern video games, consoles, and technology, Nigerians used to rely on traditional board games to relax and have an enjoyable time with peers and family members.
These traditional Nigerian board games have stood the test of time and provided competitive sports where people can enjoy and have fun at the same time. Today, we will be having a look at some of the classic board games that have stood the test of time in Nigeria and are still popular in the country. Let’s get started:
Ayo
Ayo is a board game that is not only popular in Nigeria but all across Africa. It is arguably the most popular board game in Nigeria. Apart from Nigeria, it is played in various African nations. It is an ancient board game that is played between two participants who play in an attempt to gather more seeds and emerge as the winner of the game.
The game is played on a specific Ayo board that is made up of 12 holes, having 6 holes on each side of the board. Every hole has four seeds, making a total of 48 seeds and at the end of the game, the player with the most seeds wins the game. It is a fun game that does not take much time and is very commonly played all across Nigeria. Just like Words With Friends, an online alternative to Scrabble is popular all over the world, Ayo is popular all across Africa.
Checkers Or Draughts
Checkers is another board game that is played all across Nigeria. It is popular not only in Nigeria but also all over the world. It is a strategy board game that is played between two members only. The game is played on alternating turns, with one player having the light pieces on one side and the other player having dark pieces on the other side. It is played on a 10×20 board.
The game involves jumping over the pieces of the opponent to capture them. At the end of the game, the player left without pieces or who cannot move his/her pieces due to being blocked loses the game. You can easily play a game of checkers in 10-15 minutes and since this game is very competitive and isn’t that time-consuming, playing this game is so much fun which is why the game stood the test of time in Nigeria.
Scrabble
Scrabble is another board game that stood the test of time in Nigeria and it is very common among Nigerians. If we talk about Scrabble playing nations then we cannot forget Nigeria because this game is so commonly played in the country. Scrabble is played between 2-4 players using a special Scrabble board and word tiles.
The objective of the game is to combine letter tiles and build words to score as many points as you can. There are bonus tiles on the board that can boost your score. At the end of the game, the player having the most points wins the game. It is a fun game that also has an educational side to it since playing this game improves your vocabulary. The game is so popular that we now have special tools like Scrabble Word Finder specifically made for this game to help the players out.
Ludo Or Pachisi
Ludo or Pachisi, whatever you call it, is also a classic board game that has proven itself through time in Nigeria. It is another popular board game in Nigeria that is played with a board that consists of four houses, usually in yellow, green, red, & blue, and is played with dice in a cup. Ludo can be played between 2-4 players, either in teams or separately.
It is not only popular in Nigeria but also very much popular in South Asian countries like Pakistan, India, and Bangladesh. The objective of the game is to move your pieces throughout the board and then get those into your houses. Once you start playing this game, you cannot stop playing it. We have also seen the game being re-made for mobile devices which includes popular games like Ludo Start, and Ludo King.
These were some of the popular classic board games that are still popular in the country and being played by peoples belonging to different classes and races. Honorable mentions include Chess, Snakes & Ladders, and several others.