A resident of Taraz has developed a Kazakh analogue of the popular board game Monopoly, dedicated to the history of the Great Steppe. The project aims to introduce young people to the country's historical and cultural heritage and to fill the shortage of board games in the Kazakh language, according to infohub.kz.
The game is called "Uly Dala Joly: Ұлы Дала Тарихы". It was produced by order of Kazakhstan's Ministry of Culture and Information as part of a small grant from the Center for Support of Civil Initiatives.
"The idea for the game came during an ordinary evening with friends playing Monopoly. I thought: why not create a similar game dedicated to the historical sites of Kazakhstan? That's how 'Uly Dala Joly: Ұлы Дала Тарихы' came about. The goal of the game is to make our history interesting and accessible to the younger generation," shared the author, Aqarys Aueskhan.
The game was developed with input from historians. It is designed for 2–6 players aged 8 and up. So far, only 15 sets have been produced. Testing took place in Astana, Karaganda, and Taraz.
The sets were given to educational institutions, youth and volunteer organizations. The developer plans to increase the print run in the future.
Earlier, Kursiv wrote that Kazakhstan's National Security Committee and the Astana Department of Economic Investigations are investigating the scandal-plagued Kazakh language learning game Steppe Rider, which cost 241 million tenge.
The project's main client was the Ministry of Science and Higher Education. After the game appeared online, Kazakhstanis began heatedly discussing its low quality. Users noted that the graphics in places look cheap and outdated, and bugs and flaws greatly spoil the experience.
After the outcry over the game, Yerbol Tlesh, chairman of the Language Policy Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education, commented on the situation. He explained the poor state of Steppe Rider by saying the app was a pilot project. He also promised that the game would be updated and improved in 2026.