Category Archives: Game

Five Stones

Nationality: Singaporean Chinese
Occupation: Retiree
Residence: Singapore
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English, Teochow, Cantonese, Bahasa Melayu, Hokkien

A childhood game, played primarily by girls with five small cloth ‘stones’ that are either filled with sands or beans. Game involves throwing and catching the ‘stones’ while not touch the other. There are five stages to this games, the first stage is when you take one stone and throw it up in the air while snatching one on the ground without touching any of the other stones, and then catch the one that you threw up in the air. If you touched any other  ‘stone’ or missed the falling ‘stone’ you’d lose your turn. This goes on till the fifth round, which you have all five in your hand and you toss all five in the air, flip your hand and catch it on the back of your hand.  Additionally, with two or more people, the other player gets to choose the ‘stone’ that you need to throw up in the air.

 

My informant started playing this game when she was about six, growing up in Singapore during the early sixties. She played this game mainly because it was what girls that age did during that time, the boys played their games and the girls played theirs.

There are variations on the rules depending on what school you went to and who you played with and they are mostly about which hand to play with after the first whole round and the fifth stage. While there are websites and it is documented how to play, most people learn to play from their classmates and their parents.

While this game is relatively old, they still play this game today in schools. Even though it isn’t as widespread as it was in the past. One of the reasons why this game is so popular is due to the fact that it is convenient to carry around and it would not be confiscated by the teachers if they are caught playing in school, unlike video games.

Ghostly game

Nationality: Chinese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: 614 Hellman Wa,y Pardee Tower, 90007, Los Angeles, California
Performance Date: Nov. 8th, 2011
Primary Language: Chinese
Language: English

I asked a lot of my friends if they had any fantastic ghost stories to tell. They all racked their brain so hard, but hardly came up with one. At the time I felt helpless about my story collection, Shirley saved my life. She told me a spooky story happened in her high school in America.

“I am even trembling now every time I try to recollect the story. At that time, I was in my senior year in Massachusetts. My friends were bored of study in the school. So they decided to play some paranormal activities to entertain. The game should be conducted in an abandoned house with lights turned off. Four participates will stand in four corners of a squared room with eyes covered with black mask. As the game begins, the first person walks towards the second person. When he approaches the second person, he pats the person on his shoulder. Then the second person goes to the third person and does the same thing. After the third person approaches the last participate, the last person is supposed to walk to the original place where the first person stands, where no one is there after the first round starts. As anyone passes a empty corner, the participate should cough and continue to walk towards the next corner to pat the next person. The game goes on until no one coughs anymore. The wired thing of this game is who is the extra person shown in the game? My four friends were brave and curious about this game. Thus they follow the rules one by one and. However, the game was stopped when one of my friends, Nick, touched “someone” in the empty corner.

It happened a long ago that I couldn’t remember some details. That afternoon, something horrible all happened to four of them. The only thing I remember is Nick fell down and broke his legs bones after playing the game. And when he returned home after school, his dog in his family barked loudly at him. Since it is believed in Chinese culture that dog can see ghost, we all started to imagine what were following Tom as he returned home.”

I took a long pause to think and go over Shirley’s story in my mind again. It made me scared actually. I then did some research of this frightening game and discovered that it was regarded as a taboo, because the extra “person” will emerge in the dark room for the most situation. What will you feel if you touch a “person” who doesn’t exist in the dark? My nerves tightened even I just think about rather than take part into the game.  Although many ghostly games like this four-corner one spread widely in traditional society, four-corner game haunted Shirley during her high school year the most, since it took place around her life. What’s more, she was actually sitting at the corner where Tom touched the fifth “person”.

Ouija Board Ghost

Nationality: Vietnamese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: 5450 Monterey Highway Space 91
Performance Date: October 30, 2011
Primary Language: English
Language: Vietnamese

My friend Nelly who personally experienced this told this story to me.

“Ummm… so we were… Nancy introduced the Ouija game to us. So she came over after school and then uhhh, we like… yeah we don’t play by the game, like the board game. We play by paper. So when you play by paper you have to rip it up when you are done. It’s like an instruction you know? So we decided to play and ummm… we were playing, we barely started and then ummm, we heard my dad coming to the living room so we stopped and then like you’re supposed to rip up the paper, but me and Melody, we just like let go and like was sat back down and then umm… Nancy, she didn’t let go and she was just like,”ahhh!” and then she gasped but she didn’t let go and like she was holding on to the paper and I was like, “Rip it up!” And she was like, “Yeah, yeah I know.” My dad came up and he was like what are you guys doing and I was like, “Uhhh… watching TV.” Ummm… she put the paper down and he was like, “Ok.”

So then he went back to the kitchen and then she set the paper down and then like we were just pretending to be you know doing whatever. So Melody… she like…  me and her, we went like to the computer and Melody was like, “Oh, lets play the Sims.” And then ummm… Melody suggested that we should play the Sims game… and then Nancy brought over the Sims game because like…   thats why she came over, to play and to teach us how to play the Sims game. And then ummm… and then I was sitting next to Melody and then I was like, “Uhhh okay lets play the game.” So then Melody was like, “Oh where’s the game?”  And I was like, “I don’t know.” So then we turned to Nancy and she was like, “Nancy, where’s the Sims game?” And she was like “What are you talking about? Who are you?” And then ummm… and then like we were like, “Oh stop kidding around.” And then she was like, “You know… the Sims game.” She was explaining, “That’s why you’re here, you’re going to show me how to play the Sims game, so where is it?” And she was like, “I don’t know what you’re talking about. Who are you? Where the hell am I?” And we were like, “What the heck.” And then ummm… she started crying and I was like,” What the heck? Why is she crying?” So I was like, “Nancy are you okay?” and like I was walked to the living room because the computer… it’s sorta near… it’s like in between the living room and the kitchen, so I walked towards her, the sofa, and was like, “Are you okay?” And she wouldn’t respond. She kept crying and she kept looking at the ceiling and she was like crying and it seemed like… she was grabbing onto her backpack. Like she grabbed it and was holding on so tight. I was like, “Okay, what the hell? Stop kidding around.” I was like getting angry at her. I was like, “Stop messing around. Like why are you crying?”

And then my dad came over and I was like, “Oh my god, he’s going to be like, ‘what the fuck is going on?’” And then he came up and I was like, “Dad, she’s crying.” And then he came up to her and said, “What’s wrong sweetie? Why are you crying?” Ummm and then… she started yelling at him. She was like, “Who are you? What do you want?” It seemed like she was about to get raped or something. She was crying and holding on to her stuff like her life was about to end or something. She kept screaming and I was like, “Calm down that’s my dad… what are you doing?” And she was like, “No! Get away from me!” And she was just screaming and was crying and kicking. And then I was like, “Daddy… I don’t know what to do.” And then.. so… like she stopped and then she was covering her face and everything and I was like, “Daddy, just leave her alone.”

And then he went back to the kitchen and like he was talking to us like, “What did you guys do?” And I was like, “I don’t know. We were just watching TV, thats it.” And then it came up and I was like, “What the fuck, you didn’t rip the shit!” So then I started ripping the paper. Like me and Melody were like ripping the paper and then she just sat there after five minutes she was like, “What are you doing?” And then I was like, “What the hell?” Like we left her alone because I didn’t know what to do and then ummm she was like, “What are you guys doing?” And we were like,”…. what are you doing?” She was like, “Aren’t we going to play the Sims?” And I was like,”… do you have the Sims? Like what the hell…” and then ummm my dad told her, “Oh go wash your face.” and then she did and she came out. And I was like you don’t remember that you were screaming and yelling at my dad? And then she was like, “No… all I remember is us sitting here about to play the Sims or something like that.” And I was like, “The fuck?” And she doesn’t even remember till this day. Even when I remind her, she’s like, “No, I seriously don’t remember.””

This story might not be an obvious ghost story when first read, but there are a few indicators which put this story into the ghost genre. The Ouija board game is a popular board game which is known and has been played by many people. It has also been used in the movie Paranormal Activity to help persuade and scare viewers into believing the house in the movie is possessed. The board has letters and words on it with a marker where the players place their fingers. The marker then moves to specific letters or words which are supposed to make a message to the players. Supposedly, the marker is being moved by a paranormal entity which makes the whole game scary. Other supernatural stories relating to the Ouija board have been around and only make it more believable. Because Nancy is “possessed” after using the Ouija board, it is easier believable that the story is paranormal. The entity which possessed Nancy had a personality which makes it easier to believe it was a ghost. Nelly emphasized the fear that was instilled into Nancy after she was possessed; “It seemed like she was about to get raped or something”. Many ghosts come from people who have had a tragic life or unfinished business. The terror and panic that came from Nancy gives reason to believe a ghost who had a tragic and fearful life possessed her.

Despite the scary possession that happened to Nancy, it can’t help but be thought of as the consequence of their “fun”. Nancy was possessed only after they didn’t rip the paper and that she went back to normal as the paper was ripped. It’s as though the paper, once used as the game board was an entrance for spirits to come through. This story shows the consequences of meddling with the supernatural world and not following it’s rules.

 

 

Game – American

Nationality: American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English

“Quarters”

My informant first heard of this drinking game during his junior year of high school.  The point of the game is to bounce your quarter into your empty cup.  The materials should consist of two cups, two quarters, a table, and participants.  The goal is to bounce your quarter into your cup and after successfully doing so, you put your cup into the person’s next to you and they have to drink.  There are many other little rules to the game but the basic principle of the game is stated above.  The reason why my informant learned of this game was because he was at a party where there were some kids drinking.  After a little time of drinking, the kids decided to have some fun and play a game so they played “quarters.”  This is where Matt learned the game for the first time, as he watched as an observer.  Now, the game “quarters” is played when a group of people want to drink and play a game at the same time.

My informant’s first reaction upon hearing about this game was that “it seemed pretty easy to follow and was pretty cool because it was the first time I had seen drinking being combined into a game.”  These games are usually played at parties, especially college parties.  Being a member of a fraternity, Matt said that a lot of fraternity members play these kinds of drinking games all the time.

The reason why this drinking game is important in my informant’s life is because he is currently a college student, and it is common for college students to drink upon entering the college atmosphere.  Matt joined a fraternity during his first semester of college, and almost every Thursday there are parties at his fraternity.  However, before one attends a party, it is the “cool thing to do is pregame,” which consists of getting drunk before actually attending the party.  Matt said the game “quarters” is a “perfect game for one to get a little alcohol in them so someone is tipsy when they come to the party.  That way someone is loose and ready to party when they come to my fraternity.”

The reason why this drinking game affects me is because I cannot drink.  I was born extremely sick and if I drink alcohol I will get acid reflux which could cause cancer of the esophagus.  Therefore, I do not drink, so I think these games are very interesting because I have never heard of them.  I think this game is interesting and simple, and the reason why it is so simple is so that when someone is drunk, he or she can still sit down and enjoy the game while at the same time understanding what is going on.

Game

Nationality: Filipino-American
Age: 47
Occupation: Teacher
Residence: Seattle, WA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: Tagalog
Language: English

Children’s Play

Greased Pole Game:

This is a game in which a large pole of bamboo is erected, greased, and children take turns to attempt to climb this greased pole.

The informant described her experience playing this game on many different celebratory occasions.  This game requires a bit more preparation, and is not necessarily one that children could just go outside and play themselves.  The necessity of an adult presence to take all the necessary preparations made this a relatively special and much anticipated event.  The informant highlighted one particular festival where this game would be played, “every year in Abukay we would have this… sort of, 4th of July celebration, it was just an official fiesta to commemorate Abukay, there would be food and singing and dancing, a very catholic parade with all the nuns and accolades and everyone marching behind them with their veils over their heads and in there church dresses… but anyway, there was a  bunch of different activities for the kids to run around and do.”  The Greased pole was among these activities. The informant said that on the day of the festival the pole would be already set up usually by the people of the small town.  Once the pole is greased, it remains so for the entire day, allowing many groups and many children to have their turn throughout the day.  The informant said that yes, occasionally kids would go up themselves or with just a couple other friends, but usually it was done in a more organized fashion.  An adult would be there to chaperone, a group of kids would line up and take turns trying to get up the pole.  Those waiting, and others who would crowd around only to watch would yelp and cheer each other on throughout the process.

This game is a very simple, and resourceful.  It requires only a large bamboo pole and some kind of grease, typically animal lard, or now, the informant said that she thinks it is more common to use vegetable oil.  Like many games, this one uses materials that are always readily available, it requires no theatrics, no expensive gear, it is simply an innocent, village game that is very challenging and appeals to all children and people regardless of social class.  In the Philippines it is as universal as the children themselves,  for this I think it is particularly important to treasure such activities especially in a region like the Philippines and even in the Village of Abukay themselves, where there is such disconnect between  socio-economic class.  This is simple enough to where if is ripe for variation, rules may be added or taken away at any given point and in any given area, it includes anyone and everyone and serves as a mode to bring otherwise separated groups together.