A strange little side quest
Even a quick game like Squid Game: Minigames sits on top of decades — and sometimes centuries — of ideas. The word 'checkmate' is linked to the Persian expression 'shah mat', used when the king was trapped. The surprising part is how quickly the next milestone followed. By 1987, fantasy role-playing had become a major computer-game direction, with Zelda, licensed Dungeons & Dragons games and other story-led adventures expanding the form. That history is one reason familiar mechanics can still feel new when they are recombined well.
