A board game is a game that involves counters or pieces moved or placed on a pre-marked surface or board, according to a set of rules. Games can be based on pure strategy, chance (e.g. rolling dice) or a mixture of the two, and usually have a goal that a player aims to achieve.

Amazingly, two of the oldest board games, Chess and Backgammon are not in the Toy Hall of Fame - surpassed by the likes of Slinky and Mr. Potato Head.

Backgammon and Chess are so old that no one truly knows when they were invented. Backgammon, dating back to 3,000 BC, is the oldest known board game in history still played today. The earliest similar board was found in Burnt City, Iran. Excavation unearthed a board, two sets of checkers and couple of dice. Interesting to note is that the world's oldest wooden wheel, also dates from 3,000 BC.

Backgammon, a 5,000 year old game, one of the first games know to man, a game as old as the wheel, should have been the first game to be inducted. I have to question the maturity of the Toy Hall of Fame. Certainly, it lacks wisdom and fails to gain my respect.

The earliest known design was by the American, Elizabeth Magie, patented in 1904 but existing before that. A series of board games were developed from 1906 through the 1930s. By 1934, a board game had been created much like the version of Monopoly sold by Parker Brothers into the 21st.