Herodotus’ legend of Lydia tells the tale of a time where the Lydians flourished even through a 18 year long famine. How did they manage to find their way through a limited number of resources and patience running low? The legend says that they played a board game every alternate day and ate food on the other. After 18 years with food reserves running low, the Lydians decided to play a last game to decide which half of the population would stay back while the other moved to find a better chance of survival. This other half is considered to be the settlers and founders of the Roman empire and brought about the age of architecture and other discoveries, while the former half braved the famine and came out of the other end of the tunnel.

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While we can choose not to believe the legend even after various theories substantiating it; but, if we were to consider it to be true what it tells us has been the essence of games. What role did the board game possibly play in helping Lydians survive? As Jane Mcgonigal, game designer, explains, “It did two things; it helped improve their quality of life by giving them something to take their minds off from the impending loom making them more resilient and it helped them maintain their social connections by letting them participate as teams providing them with a positive experience.” A game helped people survive a famine without killing each other in the first place! It helped them distribute food stock evenly ensuring the survival of as many as possible. Was it this resilience that helped the other half make an impossible journey and flourish?

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What would Lydians do if they lived in today’s time; with Covid-19 lurking around every corner and the human race equipped with modern tools and technologies? What would they have done to ensure everyone has food in their belly and remain hopeful with all the uncertainty? What kind of games would they have played? Could they have gone a step ahead and used these games to create a better world for when it all ends?

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We can never know the answer to all these questions but what we already know is that we belong to the same race as Lydians. Humans have survived unimaginable atrocities inflicted on them by nature and their fellow men. Play can help us collaborate and bring joy to our lives. Here’s hoping we can brave these times and come out as better resilient human beings. To Lydians!