Of course, there are board game enthusiasts and historians who could agree or disagree with this. Some say that Connect 4 is part of a family of 4-in-a-row games that have come out over history. Because of this, it is believed that the game concept is far older than it is thought to be. The main concept of the modern game as we know it today is that of dropping game pieces into a rack rather than placing them on a board.
Before that could happen, the 2D versions of the game actually played on a game board had to come about. Many attribute the earlier concept of the game to one Theodore R. Not much is known of this man except that he has a patent in his name for a type of 3D stacking Tic Tac Toe game that involved dropping or stacking in a row. This particular patent was filed on the 6th of August While there have been several versions of both 2D and 3D stacking game concepts that have emerged over time, it is the one sold by Funtastic that is considered to be a direct game that Connect 4, as we know it today, is derived from.
In order to play, players would drop wooden beads into the pole slots, which then allowed for a row of 4 beads to form in any direction. Sound familiar? To me, it sounds similar to the game we play today, except we use colored discs instead of wooden beads. If you want to find out more about how exactly the modern version of Connect 4 was invented, take a look at the following clip from Howard Wexler on how the game was created. Connect 4, as you know it today, is the game that was trademarked and released by Milton Bradley in If you have a Connect 4 game that was bought after , then you have the original Milton Bradley version of the game.
Milton Bradley was actually a game company that was started by Milton Bradley in Massachusetts in After releasing the Connect 4 game in , Milton Bradley was bought out by Hasbro just 10 years later, and so Connect 4 became the property of Hasbro. If you have not yet heard that the game is solved yet, perhaps now is the time for you to look it up. If you have read that Connect 4 is a solved game, it is true — not a myth.
What does it mean that Connect 4 is solved? Its simple rules and uncluttered design make it a good choice for early strategic games. Some versions include tools to flip your tokens into the grid. Others make you bounce balls into the board in a fashion reminiscent of ping pong. Active game play helps keep players engaged, and if a piece goes astray, you can always find it in the morning. Most collapse more easily than the standard game and keep you from losing pieces. Some travel games include rugged boxes that are less likely to get crushed than their cardboard counterparts.
Others are built atop a tray that helps keep your tokens from getting lost. Connect 4 games played outdoors should be sturdier so they can stand up to wind gusts and occasional roughhousing. They should also be larger than standard boards so pieces are difficult to lose.
Some outdoor game sets are made from thick, well-sealed wood to help protect against the elements. Others are fully plastic so that they can stay outside regardless of the weather. Believe it or not, Connect 4 games actually come in several sizes.
The board for the original game measures roughly one foot across and one foot wide. Smaller travel versions are more compact, measuring less than 10 inches across.
At the other extreme, the largest sets are intended for outdoor use and measure four feet across. Choose one that works for your play and storage space. You can find quality Connect 4 games made from both plastic and wood, and you can find them in travel, standard and extra-large sizes. Larger wooden sets must return indoors to avoid water damage when it rains and are vulnerable to fading and cracking with excessive exposure to sun and heat.
Wooden travel sets may be slightly heavier, but it may absorb travel bumps and bruises better than plastic. Plastic sets may fit in a suitcase better without pushing airline weight limits. Plastic sets clean up better than wood after exposure to sticky juice and snack crumbs, but it may not stand up as well to use and abuse by a young child. Some older Connect 4 game boards must be largely disassembled to store. Less assembly and disassembly as well as fewer moving parts means fewer lost pieces and longer game board life.
Many travel sets include cases to make them easier to transport. Portable cases may be made from vinyl, plastic, or wood. In some cases, the board itself folds down to form part of the case for the ultimate in convenience and space saving. One of the trivial annoyances in the original Connect 4 game was its lack of token storage during gameplay; tokens were simply loose on the table. Some manufacturers have fixed this inconvenience by attaching token trays on each side of the board, so little hands are less likely to fidget with and lose game pieces.
In this range, you get either an upgraded traditional game or an updated game with new rules or features. You can find games made with plastic or wood in this tier. They may have storage trays, special carrying cases, or fold conveniently for travel or storage. Special financing available. Any international shipping and import charges are paid in part to Pitney Bowes Inc.
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