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vernaculargames

A Primordial Thrill. Behold the Chase Game



Photo by Nattu Adnan on Unsplash So.


Let's talk about what may be the oldest and simplest form of game that has ever existed: Chase style games


Think back in your childhood. Can you remember some of the first games you ever played? For those of us who played outdoors it is likely that among the first games you ever played was tag or some variant of it. It is among the simplest of games to understand, to the point where the players tend to instinctively know what they must do without ever actually telling each other how it goes.


So why is this? In my (admittedly off the cuff) opinion, it comes down to a couple things. Firstly is the aspect that was mentioned at the beginning of this post. Tag is a very simple game. The goal is to tag your opponent, and if you are the opponent your goal is to avoid being tagged. If you are tagged you are "it" and now everyone else who is playing must avoid you. There is very little to explain and thus it is a game that is very easily passed along from playgroup to playgroup.


Additionally, This game is easily understood when anyone watches kids playing the game. Just watching one child chase the others across the field and then switch roles as soon as they touch one of the other kids, one can suss out the basic rules of the game.


It doesn't hurt that the game is primarily execution focused, meaning there's a lot more "doing" than "strategizing". Games of that nature are usually very quick to learn, but can be difficult to master (that golden ratio every designer strives to hit!)


Most playground games are variants on the intial chase game of tag, with different rules for who is it, and additional rules to make the play of the game more interesting. Hide and seek adds an optional element of hiding. Cairo Street Dogs (a game I learned as a child in Egypt) doesn't switch roles of the taggers, instead having more and more players become "it" over time until there's only one player left. This said, the rules are always super simple and easily figured out both from being told or from just playing it with other people. (There are, of course many other forms of playground games that exist, but that can wait for until another digital chat)


On the flip side there isn't usually much depth to these games, since they don't have too many moving parts. The fun comes not from strategy and outsmarting your opponent, but the act of running about, trying to catch or escape from other players Tis why as we age we tend to graduate out of playground games into organized sports games, as we crave more depth, both executionally and strategically.


So what say you, dear reader? Did you play any playground games back in the day? What was one of your favorites? Comment below, inquiring minds want to know!

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