The Roman Games were cruel and brutal in the way people put their lives on the line, just to impress the crowds. This essay will look specifically at gladiatorial contests and what the day of a gladiatorial game looked like. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The first and original creators of Roman games were the Etruscans of northern Italy and they organized public games. These included gladiatorial battles, Roman boxing, hoop rolling, Roman ball games, indoor Roman games, and chariot racing. These were kept as sacrifices to the gods. The Romans organized the games about 10-12 times a year. The games were paid for by the emperor. This was because the emperor wanted the poor to remain unemployed and not rebel or annoy the upper class for not being employed. The emperor did this to distract the poor from their level of poverty. While there were other locations where the games were held, they would primarily take place in the Colosseum, located just east of the Roman Forum. It was commissioned around 70-72 AD by Emperor Vespasian as a gift to the Roman People. In 80 AD, Vespasian's son Titus inaugurated the Colosseum. 100 days of games were held there until, after four centuries of use, it fell into abandonment. It was subsequently used for resource construction until the 18th century. Nearly two-thirds of the amphitheater was used and destroyed in this process. Gladiators were mostly unfree individuals. Most gladiators were lower class or were volunteers and simply played against slaves for fame, monetary rewards, and just excitement. Anyone who became a gladiator was automatically classified as "infamis" (meaning loss of legal or social position) by law. Some gladiators also belonged to the upper classes and, although it was prohibited by law, they fought anyway. All gladiators were required to swear a solemn oath (Sacramentum gladiatorial), similar to that sworn by the legionary but much more atrocious: "I will endure being burned, being tied, being beaten and being killed with the sword". Once the events became more popular, limits were placed on the number of pairs of fighters allowed to participate in a show at the same time. There was also a limit on the amount of money that could be invested in games. Some people hired gladiators to fight as a team with them and if the hired gladiator was returned in poor condition, often the person who hired the gladiator would have to pay a fine. In the 1st century BC, schools were created to help train people to become gladiators. Trained gladiators had the ability to survive and even thrive outside of the game. Some gladiators didn't even live long enough to fight two or three battles, but the best became folk heroes, appearing in graffiti. An example of a well-known fighter would be "Celadus the Thraex who is the heartthrob of the girls". The gladiatorial games began with a procession that included the fighters and was led by the sponsor of the games. In Rome during the imperial period this was usually the emperor, while in the provinces it was a high-ranking magistrate. Music will also accompany the ceremony. Instruments such as the water organ or the curved horn were often used. This would be followed by displays of animals performing stunts. After that, a lunch break would take place. This was the time when criminals were executed. The executions would be carried out in public.