Germans Love David Hasselhoff / Board Games

• Chess originated in India, and evolved on its spread to the Middle East and southern Europe. The 20th century chess scene was totally dominated by the Soviet Union. But these days, thanks to Viswanathan Anand, one might say that India has finally become the best at its own game. And the version Anand plays is a Spanish variant from the late 15th century.
• The game Reversi or Othello was invented in England, but its modern reinvention was in Japan, and as seen in the link, a number of World Champions in the game have been Japanese. This might be attributed to its similarity with the Asian game Go.
• Mahjong is originally a Chinese game, but in America has most of its association with (now) old Jews (mostly women). It found a new audience with Akagi fans.
• That Chutes & Ladders board game you remember from when you were a kid? It's actually from India, where it is known as "Snakes & Ladders" and has a much more religious/supernatural flavor (it's intended to teach children about the Hindu concept of karma). It's still called Snakes and Ladders in some places like the UK, even if most of the moral symbolism has been quietly dropped.
• Settlers of Catan did okay in Germany and is still one of the best known creations of its author (who was a household name among German board game enthusiasts before that, however), but it is perhaps even more well known and has had more lasting cultural impact in the United States.
• The Game of Life is arguably more popular in Japan than the United States. Japan has been making its own versions of The Game of Life for decades, oftentimes releasing multiple new versions per year.
• Trouble has been a highly popular board game in Finland, where it is known under the name Kimble. Tens of thousands of copies are sold there every year, including licensed versions like Angry Birds Kimble.

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