People all over the world love to have fun. Over the years, games have been invented to entertain people. Many of the inventions and ideas created for entertainment have been placed in the gaming category. The games were also played long ago in the past. In the Renaissance, many unique sports and activities were a source of enjoyment and pride. The major games played in the Renaissance included card games, board games, and sports used for entertainment. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay Card games were an important part of the Renaissance. Many of the games were played with a regular deck of cards. Two popular games were Maw and One in Thirty, similar to Blackjack (eHow). Many card games required only a small number of people to play, such as Maw. People could easily play it with two to ten players. One fun thing that Renaissance people liked to do while playing cards was gambling. Even though gambling was fun, a person during that time could still enjoy a friendly card game without risking money. Another form of games in the Renaissance included board games. Much the same type of checkers and chess was played as it is today. Although board games were played, they were not as popular as sports. In the Renaissance, sports were very popular. Some activities they did were fencing and archery. Henry VIII was an excellent archer and practiced his kicks (Ridley253). Popular sports included swimming, throwing, jumping, wrestling, and bowling. Some team sports played include soccer, soccer, hockey, and lacrosse (Baker). Most sports were played by wealthy people. It was illegal for the lower classes to play football, and most did not have enough time to play many sports, however the lower classes had to spend most of their time working (Baker). Many nobles and kings were wealthy enough to have bowling alleys and tennis courts next to their homes. Tennis became very popular during this time. There were a couple of versions of tennis including lawn tennis and real tennis (Ridley254). Henry VIII and Charles V were partners in a tennis match against the Prince of Orange and the Marquis of Brandenburg(Ridley254). In Tudor times the tournament was an important event. Nobles and gentlemen thought the tournament was the greatest sport of all (Ridley247). The knights jousted and the ladies watched from the stands. The women chose the knight they wanted to win and cheered for them. Sometimes the knights took additional risks for their fans. Sometimes, if the knight the lady cheered for won the tournament, a lady would give him a kiss (Ridley247). The tournament became the most popular in Tudor times. (Ridley247). The hosts of the tournament began equipping the tournament contenders with body armor to reduce the risk of people getting seriously injured. They also soon made the spears weaker so that the knight could not pierce the other knight's armor. “If a knight could chip his lance, he would be considered skilled” (Ridley248). Even though they were cautious about the tournaments, people still got hurt. It took good horsemanship to avoid spear strikes and win the tournament. Henry VIII was thrown from his horse and was unconscious for two hours (Ridley248). After an injury during a tournament, Henry never competed again. Please note: this is just an example. Get a personalized document now.