Category Archives: Game

Game – Barrington, Rhode Island

Nationality: Polish, Italian, American
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Barrington, RI
Performance Date: April 30, 2008
Primary Language: English

“There was a game we used to play during lunch at school where you would, uh, hold an apple by its stem. Then you would twist the apple, and with each twist you would say like ‘A, B, C…’ and so on. Whatever letter you said with the stem broke off represented the first initial of a boy. Then you would take the stem and start to poke and stab your apple with it, while saying ‘A, B, C…’ again. Whatever letter you said when the stem broke the skin of the apple stood for the second initial of a boy’s name. The two initials together were those of the boy you were going to marry.”

Catherine told me she would play this game in elementary school probably first learning it when she was about 8 years old in Barrington. She described that this game was always played with girls during lunch and they would giggle and laugh and try to guess what boy in school had the initials that you would get. If they could think of a boy with those initials then they would tease and say, “you’re gonna marry _____!” This could be embarrassing if you did happen to have a crush on that boy or if he happened to be a boy who was very annoying and you could not stand. Either way, it was all light-hearted fun that girls could joke about.

Catherine felt that this game was children’s way of making fun of the institution of marriage. It allowed her and her friends, who had little responsibility at a young age, to control their future with regards to a very serious and mature commitment such as marriage. She believed that it was their attempts to try and grasp adult notions of relationships but by making it a fun and amusing game to laugh about. Because this game was so silly, Catherine believes that it was a way to undermine the almost somberness that can come with a serious relationship and to liven it up with spontaneity in determining your future.

I noticed the symbolic significance of the apple in this game of future mates. Apples are associated with Eve and the Fall into Original Sin, implying temptation and lust for the mate that your apple would decide for you. Furthermore, it stresses the importance for girls to bear children, or the fruit of their loins so to speak. To do so, she would need a suitable mate with which to procreate. This game touches on issues of sexuality and female maturity, creating a situation where young girls can pretend to involved in adult issues but not actually have to deal with the responsibilities that come with marriage or motherhood.

Game – Turkey

Nationality: Turkish
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: April 20, 2008
Primary Language: English
Language: Turkish

“Yag Satarim Bal Satarim Ustam Olmus Ben Satarim”

“I sell butter I sell honey my boss is dead so I sell everything”

“You sit around in a circle and one person has a tissue in their hand behind their back.  They go around saying the phrase over and over and drop the tissue behind someone’s back.  You can’t turn around to see the tissue, but you can feel for it with your hand on the ground.  Once the person drops it, the person sitting has to realize it and chase them.  If you don’t realize it within one turn, that person gets to keep hitting you in the head.”

Hande told me that this is one of the most common games in Turkey, and one she used to play frequently in her childhood after she learned it in elementary school from other kids on the playground.  Similar to an American version, the children’s game called “Duck Duck Goose,” this Turkish version contains a few differences.  Rather than patting the heads of the players sitting in a circle and announcing whether they are chosen to be a “duck” or the “goose,” the player moving about has to maintain a sense of slyness and secrecy.  Instead, they try to silently drop a tissue in hopes of fooling their victim.  On the other hand, in the American version, the “goose” must chase the chooser and try to tag him or her before the chooser runs around the circle and replaces the goose in his former spot.

Another difference lies in the concept of punishment or consequence in the game.  While the unsuccessful chaser or unlucky runner must sit in the middle of the circle (the “Mush Pot”) or continue to be the chaser, in the Turkish version there is a physical consequence of hitting the loser.  While this may seem cruel or out of hand, Hande said that in Turkish schools, especially public ones, it is common and even accepted for teachers to slap the students as punishment.  Though her personal experience with this was different because she attended a private school and only had to deal with one teacher about this, Hande explained that the reason why physical punishment is so accepted is because her parents’ generation and that of her teachers was already used to much worse treatment.  She told me that she had heard stories of “how they would just line up kids and start slapping the back of their hands with rulers.”  Though she said that schools today are much better concerning such behavior, it is certainly intriguing to hear about a cultural perspective and social norm that is so different from that of most of America.

Interestingly enough, the English translation of the saying is supposedly insignificant.  Hande explained that, when recited in Turkish, the phrase is just a rhyme, but in English it makes no sense.  She said that when she asked her parents if they knew about the saying’s meaning, they said no as well.  This Turkish children’s game is an example of folklore’s multiplicity and variation.  Although the origins of the game’s concept are unknown, the game has certainly spread to regions all over the world.

Game – Irvine, California

Nationality: Turkish
Age: 18
Occupation: Student
Residence: Irvine, CA
Performance Date: April 20, 2008
Primary Language: English

Around the World

“Around the World is kind of like a tricky thinking game, where you have to catch on to the pattern and see how long it takes everyone else to realize it too.  So basically you tell your friends, ‘I’m going to name a place.  It can be any kind of place, whether it’s a city, country, continent, theme park, school, whatever.  Your job is to figure out which place we can go to next.  There are only certain places we can go to, so you’ll have to figure out the pattern.’  Then you start the game by naming a place that begins with the letter ‘A,’ because the pattern is that you are actually spelling ‘Around the world’!  So then you can say like ‘OK, the first place we will go to is Africa,’ and then you ask your friends what the next place you can go to is.  So they keep guessing, and you say yes or no depending if they choose a place that begins with the letter ‘R.’ You can help them out if they are having a lot of difficulty by saying, ‘OK fine…the next place we are going to go to is Richmond.  And then you just keep this up until someone figures out the pattern and can help you continue the game, as the rest of your friends are still confused.  Basically the point of the game is to figure out the pattern, feel smart about yourself, and then see how long it takes your friends to figure it out!”


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Hande told me that she first learned this game from her Varsity Girls’ Basketball teammates while they were on a trip to San Diego for a tournament. In their downtime, the girls would play these kinds of puzzling games and see who was the sharpest at figuring out the patterns. Those who already knew how to play got to administer the games while the “newbies” were stuck trying to solve the game. Hande said that although she wished she was already “in the know” and not one of the people trying to figure out the game, she had a lot of fun playing and after she figured out the pattern, it was almost a bittersweet kind of feeling because she would never be able to re-experience the process of playing the game and figuring out the patterns. In this sense, those who already knew how to play the game and those who did not belonged to separate communities and, during the game, could only identify themselves with certain people—those who shared the same level of newness or experience. The game was therefore like a kind of initiation process—once the player figures out the pattern and realizes how the game is played, they are no longer part of the “new” group but now a member of the “elite” group that possesses knowledge of and experience with the game. Games like Around the World certainly serve not only as fun ways to pass time and trick one’s friends but also as unifying elements that contribute to group identity and one’s affiliation with certain groups or organizations.

Around the World

“Around the World is kind of like a tricky thinking game, where you have to catch on to the pattern and see how long it takes everyone else to realize it too. So basically you tell your friends, ‘I’m going to name a place. It can be any kind of place, whether it’s a city, country, continent, theme park, school, whatever. Your job is to figure out which place we can go to next. There are only certain places we can go to, so you’ll have to figure out the pattern.’ Then you start the game by naming a place that begins with the letter ‘A,’ because the pattern is that you are actually spelling ‘Around the world’! So then you can say like ‘OK, the first place we will go to is Africa,’ and then you ask your friends what the next place you can go to is. So they keep guessing, and you say yes or no depending if they choose a place that begins with the letter ‘R.’ You can help them out if they are having a lot of difficulty by saying, ‘OK fine…the next place we are going to go to is Richmond. And then you just keep this up until someone figures out the pattern and can help you continue the game, as the rest of your friends are still confused. Basically the point of the game is to figure out the pattern, feel smart about yourself, and then see how long it takes your friends to figure it out!”

Hande told me that she first learned this game from her Varsity Girls’ Basketball teammates while they were on a trip to San Diego for a tournament. In their downtime, the girls would play these kinds of puzzling games and see who was the sharpest at figuring out the patterns. Those who already knew how to play got to administer the games while the “newbies” were stuck trying to solve the game. Hande said that although she wished she was already “in the know” and not one of the people trying to figure out the game, she had a lot of fun playing and after she figured out the pattern, it was almost a bittersweet kind of feeling because she would never be able to re-experience the process of playing the game and figuring out the patterns. In this sense, those who already knew how to play the game and those who did not belonged to separate communities and, during the game, could only identify themselves with certain people—those who shared the same level of newness or experience. The game was therefore like a kind of initiation process—once the player figures out the pattern and realizes how the game is played, they are no longer part of the “new” group but now a member of the “elite” group that possesses knowledge of and experience with the game. Games like Around the World certainly serve not only as fun ways to pass time and trick one’s friends but also as unifying elements that contribute to group identity and one’s affiliation with certain groups or organizations.

Folk Games

Nationality: Mexican
Age: 45
Occupation: Administrator
Residence: Bonsall, CA
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: Spanish
Language: English

Patricia Newman – Halloween in Tijuana

Halloween in Tijuana is similar to Halloween in America; full of mischief and games. Trick or treating, dancing, and dressing up in costumes are only of few of things they do similar to America. While vandalism in America is common on Halloween, the teenagers in Tijuana play a game that consists of throwing eggs at each other.

There is no actual name for the game but it happens every year at the same time in the same place. The kids would save up their allowances for weeks and then spend all their money to stock up on cartons of eggs. Prior to midnight on Halloween night, the kids would organize and form up into groups of 4 or 5 so they all can fit into separate cars. There is an infamous road in downtown Tijuana known as Avenida Revolucion. This road is where all the action took place. The kids would drive up and down Avenida Revolucion identifying other kids’ cars who were there playing the game as well and then preceded to throw eggs at each other trying to make a mess. My Mom remembers one time when she was with some friends at midnight and they were in a convertible. All she remembers from the experience is the hours she spent afterwards cleaning the egg yolk and shells out of her hair as well as the many hours it took to clean the car. Retrospectively, it probably was not the best choice to go out and play this game in an open-topped car.

I asked her the reason why they played this game. She said it was to recognize the fact that they were still young and had the ability to have fun. I was surprised there was no intrinsic value to this game because normally there are religious or cultural meanings to games such as this at other times of the year. Even at Halloween there are cultural events that occur in Mexico. The Day of the Dead is a perfect example of this. However, in my Mother’s case, she played this game from the time she was old enough to be out on her own with friends until she left for college. These are the events from her childhood that identifies who she is as a Hispanic and a member of specific group of kids in Tijuana. She also uses memories such as this egg throwing game as a way to remember the good times she had with her friends as a mischievous kid growing up in Tijuana.

Folk Game – Japan

Nationality: Japanese
Age: 19
Occupation: Student
Residence: Tokyo, Japan
Performance Date: April 27, 2008
Primary Language: Japanese
Language: English

(Original Kanji)

(Japanese in English)

(English Translation)

Seiko Takeshita – Punishment Game

The Japanese are notorious for being hardcore when they play games. From Seiko’s point of view, Japanese people love to play games. And they don’t just play any game and leave it at that. On top of their already being a winner and loser, the Japanese people add a catch. They call it the “Batsu Game,” or punishment game. The loser of whatever game they are playing is at the mercy of the winner. Be it any card game, Rock-Paper-Scissors, Monopoly, or traditional Japanese game, the loser has to perform any deed that they are asked to do by the winner. The punishments can vary between very easy and simple tasks, to extremely embarrassing ones. Seiko remembers two occasions where she lost and had to perform a very embarrassing punishment. The first was she when had to run around Tokyo with very heavy eye shadow all over her face for 15 minutes by herself. The second was a time when she was forced to do a Billy’s Boot camp skit in the middle of a crowded plaza in the city of Shibuya. Billy’s Boot camp is a television workout routine that does aerobics. I asked her what would have happened if she chose not to do what she was told. She said there was no other punishment other than a hit to your reputation and the possibility that others will not want to play anymore games with you. To her, there was no other choice but to endure the embarrassment.

This addition of the punishment game can be most closely related to adding a game of truth or dare at the conclusion of any game previously played. However the catch is that it always has to be a dare. Seiko mentioned that the only reason they played the punishment game was to make the games they are playing more interesting and competitive. She said that the adrenaline rush of not wanting to lose made the experience ten times greater than just playing for no reward. This is true among many other facets of life. Where there are rewards or lack of punishment, the incentive to do your best is much greater than if you are just playing for fun. Seiko much rather prefers when the “Batsu game” is played than when it is left out.

It is clear from history that the Japanese like to play and make up games. They are known by gamers to create the best video games. They have the craziest game shows on television such as “MXC or Human Tetris,” among others. They are just a lively and energetic nation. Tokyo is known as a fun and vigorous locale to visit because of all the things there are to do at all times of the day and night. No wonder they came up with the “Batsu Game.” The Japanese have been around for a long time which has allowed them to have a long history from which they can pick and choose different traditions to perform and which are not as important. This tradition has won the test of time and will probably be carried on for many more generations to come.