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Game profile: Othello
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One of the nine deadly game design sins is multiplayer solitaire. According to the Board Game Designers Forum, that is when “a player’s actions have no effect on another player’s actions”. The joy of board games, their purpose really, is for people to socially interact with each other in a new context. The key word here is "interact'. If every one of your actions do not impact, influence, or irritate your opponents in some way, you might as well be home alone playing a video game.
Few games avoid multiplayer solitaire as well as the classic chip flipping game Othello. For those who have never played the game, Othello is an abstract two-player exercise in area control. Players place dual colored chips one at a time onto an 8x8 board with one player placing one color (e.g. white) face up while the other player places the opposite color (e.g. black).
When placing a chip, you must "capture" chips of the opposite color between your own. When you do, you get to flip the opposing color chips over to your side. Unfortunately, your opponents can do the same. And they will. Repeatedly.
The challenge is that players may only place a chip onto the board if it affects their opponent. This mechanic forces interaction between players each and every turn. If you cannot flip any of your opponent's chips by laying one of your own, you can't place the chip there. This limitation may eventually force you to place a chip that will benefit your opponent or prevent you from playing any chip at all.
Few games have this level of interaction. Most, if not all board games will allow you to make a few moves – especially early in the game – that do not directly impact the other player. Not Othello. From your first move to your last, you're taking or losing territory. The key is to make your opponent lose more ground than you do before the board is completely filled.
Othello is a very simple game design and has been marketed under several names. I have a version on my cell phone called "Reversi" and before that I had a version on my Palm Pilot called "Desdemona" (if you don't know why that's a clever name, read more Shakespeare). But to paraphrase the Bard, this game by any name is just as sweet.
As I researched this article on the Board Game Geek, I was surprised to see that Othello has been around since the 1880s. Upon further reflection, this should not have surprised me at all. Othello has a pure design to it. No bells, cards, dice or whistles; just a board, 64 dual colored chips and that’s it. It’s the kind of game they could easily have made with the tools of that age.
These days, I find it unfortunate that Othello has blended into the back of the game shelf. If you ask people if they've ever played Othello, it is quite likely that they have. If you ask them if they have played Othello recently, chances are they haven't. People need to rediscover this classic. Othello is simple enough for children to learn but challenging enough to entertain adults. It deserves to be played for another 130 years.
For more info: Check out the Mattel website or read the info at the Board Game Geek.
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