Category Archives: Game

Game

Nationality: American - Black
Age: 15
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2011
Primary Language: English

This is a game that Greg learned from his peers in middle school. In the game at a random time one person will call the other person’s name while making an ‘o’ shape with their hand anywhere but somewhat discreetly around their body away from their own eyes. If the other person looks at your hand then the person who made the gesture is allowed to (playfully) hit or punch the other person. The object of the game is to get another person to look at your hand so you can hit them. Mostly boys play the game and it is fairly simple but has some variation depending on who is playing it.

It is a school age game that is used for entertainment and an excuse to be somewhat violent. It creates friendly competition that most people enjoy even though there is no prize and the winner and loser can switch at any time. Other than punching the other person the game really has no true purpose, goal or objective. It seems normal in many cultures for young boys to have a game surrounding or relating to violence in someway.

Game

Nationality: Canadian. Self Identified Ethnicity: Caucasian
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: 4/26/11
Primary Language: English

Tom told me that “Ball Gazer” was a game he played with his friends in high school.  It was an ongoing game, and anyone could do it to anyone else at any time.  In order to perform the game, you would touch your index and thumb fingertips together to form a circle, with the other three fingers pointing up, much like the “okay” sign in modern American popular culture.  Then, you would put your hand below your waist.  The gesture looked like this:

If your friend glanced at your hand, you would have to say “Ball Gazer.”  After that, you had the authority to punch them as hard as you wanted.  If your friend looked at your hand and managed to put their finger through the hole formed by your finger and thumb before you said “Ball Gazer,” they would have the authority to punch you instead.

Tom said that he learned this from his friend one day at school.  He had no idea where his friend learned the game, but it most other people at his school knew about the game, too.  People would do it randomly, and the popularity of the game would fade in and out as time went on.  Some weeks people would play this game every day, and others nobody would play.  People got bored with the game quickly, according to Tom, but it always managed to come back at some point until he graduated from high school.

Tom said that he thinks the game is a funny way to bring attention to the fact that someone is staring at your crotch.  Sometimes people might unintentionally zone and appear to be looking at another person’s crotch area, and this is a way of calling that action out.  Plus, it’s an entertaining game that people could perform with their friends at school.

I think Tom’s right, but this game also represents a form of homophobia that exists with many young males throughout the country.  People usually perform this game in their younger teenage years, where they are just starting to come to terms with their sexuality.  Thus, it may be taboo to be looking at your fellow male friend’s crotch region.  This game demonstrates a way for men to display their identity as “men” (at least the stereotypical, “tough guy, heterosexual” version) by pummeling their friends if they appear to be performing a homosexual act.  It perpetuates this “tough guy” stereotype and demonstrates a form of homophobia that is prevalent in many young, high school communities.  However, I know plenty of females and homosexual people that have participated in this game, so it’s also a common funny form of entertainment.

A form of this game can also be found in the 2005 film Waiting starring Ryan Reynolds.  That movie is about a group of waiters at a restaurant that goof and slack off.  The waiters all play a game called “The Penis Showing Game.”  The basic objective of the game is to get someone to look at your genitalia.  The waiters have different positions with humorous names, and they each result in a different punishment for whoever gets caught looking.  After the person showing their genitalia catches another waiter looking, they get to call the other person a “faggot” and kick them in the behind.  This is basically a more extreme version of Tom’s “Ball Gazer” game, and the use of the word “faggot” in the film further demonstrates the games roots in homophobia.

Game – Bengali

Nationality: Indian
Age: 21
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Bengali

“Aantakshari”

This is a traditional , Bengali singing game which challenges teams of players to alter a popular song by either scale, rhythm or tone (depending on which music quality assigned to the team).  The teams will take turns singing the variation they have quickly come up with, while the other teams try desperately to guess the original song.

In the experience of the informant, this game is played after celebrations.  After the meal is finished, everyone will retire to a space more conducive to action,  break up into three teams and the game will proceed.  This takes place at any celebration, the most recent case the informant described was a one year old birthday party.  There is no winner in this game, the point is not the competition, but simply to enjoy the musical challenge.  Any popular Bengali song is fair game, the informant mentioned in particular a wealth of songs that have put the poems of Rabindranath Tagore to standard, popularly known melodies.  The players of the game will then manipulate the melody, while still singing the same lyrics, the challenge for the “guessers” is then to identify original song by the lyrics disguised by an altered tune.

The informant described the significance of this game as a demonstration of the Bengali cultural obsession with music.  The game assumes an incredible amount of musical skill, one must be able to identify and manipulate these separate qualities of music, and as a listener one must also have an incredible knowledge of Bengali music so as to be able to identify lyrics in isolation from their melodies.  And because this game is so prevalent, it does indeed show an impeccable dedication by a very large group of people.

I believe such detailed interaction with music on such a large scale is very unique for a group of people.  The expectation is more than just being able to play an instrument, to play from a sheet of notes, it is more that the music is internalized, personalized and improvised.  Only a culture with the utmost respect and value would have such sacred personal involvement that would produce the playing of a game among so many people.

For another version that is more commonly played in other parts of India and Asia, Please visit this website:  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antakshari

Game – Korean

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Cerritos, CA
Performance Date: March 27, 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: English

??? – Korean seesaw

nol-ttwigi

Joanne learned this Korean traditional game from her grandma when she was 7 years old during a traditional New Year’s Day celebration.  She was at her grandma’s house celebrating the New Year and listening to her grandma tell stories of her childhood.  Of the stories, the most memorable one was about how she used to jump on the Korean seesaw with her friends on New Year’s Day.  Because girls were forbidden from participating in games with men, the women celebrated the new year by playing nol-ttwigi.

Similar to regular seesaws, nol-ttwigi requires the use of a long board with participants on each side.  However, unlike seesaws, the participants do not sit on the board but rather stand on the edges.  As one partner jumps on the board, the other is forced up.  Because the individuals are both standing up, it creates a thrilling experience as they are tossed into the air.  This game played an important role for women in the old days because it allowed them to experience excitement and action without disobeying the strict rules society placed on women.  According to Joanne’s grandma, women in previous times were prohibited from leaving the gates of their homes and were restricted to living within the walls of their houses.  As a result, nol-ttwigi was a blessing to their lives for it allowed them to see past the walls of their confinement.  Each time they were pushed up by their partner on the other side, they were able to catch a glimpse of the outside world.  Therefore, nol-ttwigi became a popular game among women for it provided females with a temporary entrance into the outside world.  It has since been established as a traditional game in Korea and is played during holidays and special occasions.

Annotation: Koh, Frances M. Korean Games. Eastwest Press: 1997.

In this book of Korean games, the author describes the traditional game of nol-ttwigi.

Game

Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Cerritos, CA
Performance Date: March 17, 2007
Primary Language: Korean
Language: Japanese, English

“Duck, Duck, Goose”

Jinny Hwang first learned this game at a public school when she was five years old.  She was resting during her recreational time when the teacher gathered the students together to play a game.  The teacher placed the students into a large circle and asked for a volunteer who would be willing to run around the group and tap the other students on the head.  The volunteer was instructed to yell “duck” each time he tapped a person’s head until he reached an individual that he wished to be chased by.  Then he would tap that person’s head and yell “goose!”  Once this was done, the volunteer would have to run around the circle once with the “goose” chasing after him and sit down on seat the “goose” had just vacated.  If he could accomplish did without being tagged by the “goose,” he would be allowed to return to the circle.  If not, he would have to sit alone in the center of the circle in the “mush pot.”  The “goose” would then replace the volunteer as the new “it” person.

“Duck, Duck, Goose” is a game frequently played and enjoyed by children all over the United States.  It allows children to socialize with each other while giving them the daily exercise that they need.  The game further promotes the children’s listening and communication skills, as the participants need to be aware of what the “it” person is saying to succeed in the game.  It functions, therefore, not only as a pastime for children to enjoy with their peers but also as a learning tool for the children to establish social skills.

However, the game also promotes the idea of an “in group” and an outsider.  The lucky children who make up the circle are part of a larger happy group and enjoy the game.  However, the singled out individual is separated from the group and needs to work in order to return to his peers.  He needs to run as hard as he can in order to sit in the circle again and avoid being thrown into the “mush pot.”  The rest of the group members laugh and have fun at the expense of the lone individual while harboring a fear of being the next one to be singled out.  This scene is representative of society.  People generally tend to associate in groups and single out individuals that are different from them.  This game, therefore, can be seen as a preparatory step for children before they enter the real world.