Category Archives: Game

Children’s Game – United States

Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: March 2007
Primary Language: English

The game my informant told me about is called True Love. First collectively in a group someone would be chosen to find their “True Love.” After someone is picked they would ask them to name 10 guys. Someone would write them down in random order from 1 to 10. Then they would be asked to name 6 girls, including themselves, and that would be written down in random order from 1 to 6 also. After that the person would be asked to say the numbers from 1 to 10 in random order, and the writer would write that down. After all the information collecting now is the time where they would “calculate” the true love. They would take the first number from the random number list, say its 5, and take the 5th person on the guys list and the first person on the girls list and ask the person if could see them going out. If they can, put check next to the 5, if not put an “X.” This would be down to all the girls on the list, using the random numbers. Next the last 4 random numbers would be asked different questions. The first question would be “would you hug #8”?  The second would be hold hands, the third would be kiss, and the fourth would be make out. And if yes put a check and if no you would put an “X”. Next you would count up the checks and that numbered person on the guys list would be your True Love. The example above was done to me, that is why there are 10 girls and 6 guys instead of 10 guys and 6 girls, what girls would usually do.

My informant first played this game her junior year in High School. She went to an all-girls catholic school in Louisiana. She would usually play during lunch to pass time, always with girls. She stated that she never played with guys because it would be very awkward.

This is one of the many examples of love games or fortune telling games that school children play all the time. One famous game similar to this one is called MASH. I believe that school children all across United States and Canada play this game. There might be different versions and variants in Europe and other parts of the world. It is usually played by girls because girls are more likely to be finding their true love or their love of their life. In some ways society installs that among young girls through media and popular culture. Usually by the time girls (or guys) come to college they would stop playing this game because it would be deemed immature.

My informant said that this game is very addicting and even though she is in college she plays in on rare occasions when she is bored with friends. She also said that this game is usually fun with a lot of people who know each other well. She also says that by finding their “true love” it doesn’t mean anything, it is just a fun way to pass time and see who would be their “true love” out of luck.

Drinking Game – American

Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Downey, CA
Performance Date: March 25, 2007
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

Captain Dickhead

Rules: Each person draws a card from the pile

Each card has a rule that must be obeyed

If a person does not want to obey the rule, then they must drink a beer

If a person gets an Ace, that person has the power to tell anyone to do whatever he or she wants them to do (referred to as Captain Dickhead)

My informant first heard about this drinking game at a fraternity party at Cal State Long Beach.  My informant played this drinking game at a party with his fraternity brothers.  My informant said the game is really fun.  My informant said the game is called “Captain Dickhead” because whoever gets the card with the ace can tell anyone who is playing the game to do something very embarrassing or ridiculous.  Therefore, the person with the card of ace is considered “Captain Dickhead.”  My informant said that this game makes drinking alcohol more interesting.

My informant said that there is another variation of this game called “King’s Cup.”  In this game, everyone must pull a card as well.  However, it is a little different in that in the middle of the table there is a big cup that is filled with alcohol.  As everyone pulls a card, whoever draws the last card with a king on it has to drink all the contents in the cup no matter what is in it.

Many people play different variations of this game so that drinking alcohol is more exciting.  My informant stated that “Drinking games help people loosen up and relax.”

Song/Game

Nationality: Swedish-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: English

“Down by the banks of the hanky-pankey

Where the bull frogs jump from bank to bankey

Singing Eaps, Ips, Ops, Uops, Tiddly Windly, Bing Bong!”

She stood in a circle with a group of girls. Her right hand was placed facing upwards, on top of the left hand of the girl to her right. Her left hand was placed below the right hand of the girl to her left. One girl started it off by taking her top hand (right hand) and hitting/tapping the girl’s hand to her left, which was on top of her own hand. As the song progressed, each girl would hit/tap the hand of their adjacent person. When the note “bong” was sung, that person who was last slapped was out. She could avoid getting out, if she was quick enough to pull her hand out of the way, so that the last person would wind up slapping her own hand. This continued until it was down to the last two people. The last two people would then grab each others hand as if they were going to thumb wrestle. They would then move their arms, back and forth in one fluid motion, singing the song. When it ended on bong, each person would try to make the other person fall by pulling them. The person most successful at making the other stumble won the game.

Analysis

Angela learned this song in third grade. It was very popular to play during recess. All the girls would gather together and play until it was time to go in. Boys did not partake in the activity. She learned “Down by the Banks” from her classmates.

This popular hand game, although seems innocent enough has sexual connotation to it. The title itself includes the word Hankey Pankey. The definition of this word means adultery or illicit sexual relations. The story goes that a bullfrog, a male, will jump from bank to bankey, or from woman to woman. More specifically, he is jumping from girl to girl around the circle. He’s singing Eaps, Ips, Ops, Uoops. These words are onomatopoetic, giving the impression of wrongdoing. The word bong symbolizes that he gets caught for his inexcusable actions. It is interesting to notice that only girls play the game and they are trying to catch the bullfrog, or in simpler words, women are trying to catch a cheating husband. If they caught him, they will hit the hand of another. If they miss, they hit their own hand. The phrase down by the banks can be traces back to the city of Liverpool, England. There the phrase means to tell someone off, which is very appropriate for this scenario.

Game

Nationality: Portuguese-American
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Los Angeles, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: English

“You’re running through the forest and you’re running and you hear someone is chasing you…so you run faster and faster and then…. there’s in a hole…AND YOU FALL….and you’re falling and falling.

One girl is standing still and two other girls are moving her arms and legs while she is sinning through the forest. And then when she falls, they suddenly stop moving her limbs. “

Analysis:

Joanna attended many sleepovers growing up, especially during grade school. There she would watch movies, do hair and makeup, and play hand motion story games. It involved two or three girls and the motions cause you to feel a certain way. The narrator or the girl who is telling the story gets to decide when the girl falls. She tries really hard to do it at an unexpected time. This was one of the more popular things to do at sleepover parties.

Using a paradigmatic analysis for this piece we question why this specific folklore is passed down? Why do the girls like doing this? The answer is simple. During a sleepover, girls usually stay in the house. It is different than baking cookies or watching movies. This type of play is a manner in which they can experience the sensations of doing something dangerous without really being in danger. It relates back to the idea that children have an innate urge to rebel. It produces different feeling and sensation in the body, which the girls find curious. It goes along the same principle for why children spin around in a circle really fast over and over until they’re dizzy. When they stop, everything is blurry and unclear. This new sensation makes them want to do it over and over again. Similarly, the hand motion story goes along the same lines.

Yet, why does the girl feel like she’s falling? When someone is moving really fast or is in constant motion, the body gains some momentum. When it suddenly stops, it’s like your body crashes into a wall. All the organs in your body react to this rapid deceleration. Moreover, A person’s muscles are limp when others are moving them, so when they stop, her arms and legs need time to readjust to equilibrium. These brief few seconds of reestablishment create the impression of falling down a hole.

Game/Song

Nationality: Peruvian
Age: 55
Occupation: Laboratory Technician
Residence: Torrance, CA
Performance Date: April 28, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Spanish

EL PATIO DE MI CASA

Cancion:

“El patio de mi casa es particular, cuando llueve se moja, como los demas, chocolate, morenita, corre corre,estirar estirar que la coja va pasar”.

Hacer una ronda agarrandose las manos (6 chicas o mas, puede ser hasta 20 ), una de las chicas en el medio de la ronda y cantar la cancion, al terminar de cantar , separarse y aplaudir y la chica del centro salta en un pie hasta que se canse , finalnmente cuando para, la chica proxima a la que salto es la siguiente y asi sucesivamente.

THE PATIO OF MY HOUSE

Song:

“The patio of my house is particular, when rains gets wet like the other ones, chocolate, morenita, run run,

make room for the limp”

Make a circle holding hands ( 6 girls or more, could be even 20 ), one of the girls is in the center of the circle. Everybody sings the song. When you finish the song separate to make room, and clap your hands and the girl in the center star jumping on one leg till gets tired and give up. The girl in front of her will be the next in the center and start all over again.

Analysis:

Norma sang this song during recess with the other girls during grade school. It was one of her favorite games. Although it may not appear difficult to hop on one foot, after a while one gets tiring. She did not see any significance meaning to this game. It was just any ordinary game to her.

This is a prime example of children making fun of the handicapped or disabled. This is not like a common paraplegic joke told in the United States. The children outright say “run, run” there’s a “limp”. They even go father by hopping on one foot. This game although appears innocent enough to the eyes of adults, its an act of rebellion. Children are told at a young age to respect the disabled with expression such as: Do not point, Do not stare, Do not ask how they came to be that way. There are so many restrictions, games and jokes are ways for children to get around the rules.