Strange Games reader Jason Smith sent in a game he has played called Freestyle Arm Wrestling. It is fine alternative to normal Arm Wrestling (a game that requires solely brute-strength) needing a player to show guile, agility and some strength to be successful. Jason writes, "Two competitors stand facing each other in an open area and grasp hands in the traditional arm wrestling grip. From this stage it is like arm wrestling where the table is the floor. The winner is the first to get their opponent's hand to the ground. General avoidance of the head and groin regions is recommended but beyond that anything goes. Should a "break" occur opponents reset and play again unless the break occurred as an obvious last ditch trick to escape loosing. Should that be the case then the person who weaseled out forfeits the match."
Another superb childrens' (party) game, Tights Racing has been sent to Strange Games by reader Nick Moss. And it is yet another one of those kids' games that is even more fun when played by adults.Pair up the players into teams of two. One player is given a pair of nylon tights and both are surrounded by a large pile of light, bulky items such as: toilet rolls, fruit, empty plastic bottles, cuddly toys...etc. On a starting command one player must jump into their tights and then with the help of their partner shove all the items down the legs as quickly as possible and then once everything has been stored they must race to the other end of the room. The sight of players struggling to race with elephant-like nylon cladded legs is what gives this game its charm.
Hard Boiled is the name of a daring school game that combines Egg and Spoon with tickling and ends up with a probable detention. It was sent to Strange Games by Bethany and Maddie. For two players: All you need to play are two spoons and an open window (the first floor of the home economics building is possibly the ideal location). The two players stand side by side close to each other and facing an open window. The left standing player must hold the spoon in their right hand, the other must use their left hand. Each player now places an egg in their spoon and holds the spoon at arms length, as if they were about to run an egg and spoon race....the only difference being they are not about to run AND they have one arm,a spoon and an egg held outside the open window. This feels dangerous enough but now the players can use their free arms to tickle the exposed armpit of their opponent. No punching, pinching or grabbing is allowed, only tickling. The first player to drop their egg is the loser.
Strange Games welcomes reader contributions...just e-mail me: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk
Next weekend sees the second running of Bristol's urban/social interaction/street game festival: igfest. It runs from Thursday 10th - Sunday 13th in various Bristol locations such as multi-storey car parks, supermarkets and parks and includes a superb variety of games including Tom Russotti's Mega Socca (multiple balls and players), interactive treasure hunts and Moose hunts! and much much more including the marvellous game of Circle Rules Soccer.
Circle Rules Soccer was developed in 2006 by Greg Manley for the Experimental Theatre Wing of New York University and has been successfully played at other urban games festivals such as New York's Come Out and Play Festival. The game is played by two teams on a circular pitch (about 50m in diameter) in the centre of which is marked a goal area (4m in diameter) inside which only the goal-keepers are allowed. However there is only one set of goals, in the centre of this goal area, manned by two goalies. Two make it even more unusual instead of a normal sized football the game is played with one of those giant inflatable yoga balls. Players can kick it, punch it or bounce it along the ground in a basket ball style but they can't hang onto or sit on it. Their ultimate aim is to get it through the goal posts from the right side for their team. The goal keepers for their part are allowed full body contact with each other so that they can wrestle the one another to the ground to help in the goal scoring activityies. For smaller scale, less complicated games, you can dispense with the goal keepers and the goal area and just keep the goals.
I am yet again on holiday for a week or so enjoying the bracing sea mists of an English Summer, so to keep readers entertained until my return I post an entertaining video of Human Worm Racing. Enjoy!
Pegs is probably the most fun you can have with a group of friends, some dice and a humble clothes peg.To play, everyone sits in a circle around a table with a couple of dice and one strongly sprung plastic clothes peg. If you can't get one of these you could always try using a bulldog clip although that might be a little too painful for what is about to happen. Players take it in turns to roll the dice. If they roll two different numbers then the dice are passed to the next player and play continues. However if any double is rolled then a peg based punishment must be applied.If you roll double one then you must attach the peg to the loose skin on the back of your hand. A double two means you apply the peg to your neck, a double three and you must peg one of your cheeks (on your face!). A roll of double four means that the peg is heading for one of your nostrils and double five means you must peg your earlobe. The worst roll, double six, places the peg on your lip. Players must keep the peg in whatever position it is placed until the next person relieves them, but hurts themselves, by throwing the next double.
Another e-mail to Strange Games from reader Lurch Latronico details a fabulous playground combat game he and his friends enjoy playing. It has the marvellous name of KungFuDiddymen.
Lurch writes, "KungFuDiddymen is a difficult violent combat game for only the very fittest of combatants.Two players face each other, bow, then adopt a low crouch. Both knees bent and their bottoms almost touching the floor. A sort of Russian dancer posture...but these are Russian dancers with attitude as both kick out at each other and try to achieve a knockdown. It takes quite a lot of practice just to be able to do this but once you have two players that can do it the fights are hilariously brilliant and occasionally brutal, depending on how high you can kick from a crouched position. The first player to either put their hands down or get knocked over loses.You can play the version where if you put a hand down you lose OR you can allow hands to be placed onto the ground only when a kick is being made." If you have any odd things that you play contact Strange Games here: montegue_blister@hotmail.co.uk
Experience the thrill, and the pain, of walking barefoot over hot ashes but in the comfort and convenience of your living room by playing the intensely stupid game of Fingertip Firewalking.Fill a tray an inch or so deep full of dead cold cigarette butts. Amongst these, at random, distribute a dozen recently smoked and still hot butts. You should now have a menacingly smoking tray full of cigarette ends.Players (who haven't been party to the placing of the live dog ends) now have to place their index and middle fingers into one end of the tray then fingerwalk to the other side.Points are given for fingerwalking style and coolness and swagger of the walk. Points are deducted for screaming, withdrawal of fingers and...burns.For the truly advanced player attempt the course with a swagger by nonchalantly holding a lit full cigarette higher up the two fingers whilst walking the walk.
