About UNO

In a world where new state-of-the-art video game consoles are released roughly every 5 years, there are few old fasioned board and card games that are able to stand the test of time. It is difficult for many to compete for the attention of today's youth when their options include games like "Halo" or "Madden." "Uno" is a card game for 2 to 10 players that has been around for over 30 years and does not appear to be on the way out anytime soon.

History

Uno was created in 1971 by a game designer named Merle Robbins. The original incarnation of the game was much the same as the one you can find in stores today. It proved to be immediately popular, and the copyright and distribution rights were quickly purchased by the Mattel Corporation, who distribute such popular card and board games as "Scrabble" and "Pictionary."

Features

A standard "Uno" deck features 108 cards of varying colors and uses. Cards have numbers on them, but also give a player the ability to make opponants draw more cards from a center pile. The object is to be the first player to have set down all of their cards, which puts to use a variety of skills to win the game. Players must know when to save important cards and when to get rid of them, and also conceal their hand to as not reveal any potential strategy to the opposition.

Function

The rules of playing a successful game of "Uno" are as follows. Before playing, everyone involved selects a dealer, either by drawing cards or volunteer. Next, 7 cards are randomly delt to each player, with the rest being placed in the center. To begin the game, the top card of the pile in the center is turned over. Players then take turns trying to get rid of all the cards in their deck, by matching the color or number of the card on top. If a card has a special ability, you can either change the color of the card on top or make players draw more cards into their hand, thus making it harder for them to win. When a player gets one card left in their hand they must shout "Uno" before someone else does; if someone other than the player shouts "Uno," that person must now draw two more cards. The game continues until someone has no cards left in their hand.

Types

Since the release of the first "Uno" deck in 1971, the brand has proved incredibly popular and has spawned a number of spinoffs and related games. There are close to one hundred different themed "Uno" games, including "Barbie Uno" which is based on the popular line of dolls for girls, and "Batman Begins Uno" and "Superman Returns Uno," based on the successful movies featuring the comic book characters made famous over the years by DC Comics. Also available are several different video game versions of "Uno," most recently for the Xbox 360, that let players engage in a virtual game against computer opponants or real opponants both in the same room and over the Internet.

Effects

It is recommended that 2 or more, but no more than 10, players engage in a game of "Uno" at any given time. More could play, but due to the limited number of 108 cards in the deck, this could mean that cards would be pretty scarce and games would end fairly quickly. "Uno" is also recommended for players with a minimum age of 7, because certain gameplay rules and concepts may be too complicated for younger players.

Resources

• Mattel.com