May 23, 2008
Tako Chikhradze, Georgia Today

As kids, we all enjoyed playing games with our friends. We all had that anxious moment of the day when after getting home from school and finishing up our homework (right!) we knew it was time to go out into our own imaginary worlds where we were the ones who made the rules and changing them was also up to us.

These games played a great role in the establishment of our identities. Some of us experienced the confidence of being a winner and others – of being unsuccessful in the things we do. As grown ups, we play games as well, only the difference is – the childhood games were more simple, fun and had no serious consequences. These games comprise some of our best childhood memories. Some of them we made up by ourselves. For example when I was growing up, the coolest personage was ‘John Rambo’ (from Sylvester Stallone’s ‘Rambo’ series). I would imagine kids nowadays strive to be Spiderman or Donald Trump (when I was growing up in the early 90’s, these western comics heroes were inaccessible to the offspring of the Soviet Union). But yet there are games that we did not make up. These games became like traditions to us and each generation played them in their own way.

Here are the five most frequently played games of Georgian children of all eras.

The Ball in the Circle – The Ball in the Circle is a more civilized and less strategic version of Dodgeball. Two teams are chosen, with an even number of persons. One team divides in two and stands on different sides of the ‘field’. They get a ball and throw it at the rival team standing in the middle. Anyone who gets hit by a ball leaves the game. When only one person is left on the field, then he/she has to survive the number of hits respective of his/her age. For example, if he is 11, the opponents throw balls eleven times. If s/he gets hit, the other team steps in the middle and the other team is the one throwing balls. If he survives all the throws, then the whole team gets back in and the circle repeats itself.

Two Flags – Now this is a game that requires some brainstorming for ‘battle strategies’. The group is once again divided in two and a fine line is drawn in the middle of the field. Each team has a ‘flag’ that is put on equal distances from the line and the game begins. Each team has to get to the enemy camp, steal the flag and drag it over to his/her side. In case s/he gets touched by anyone from opposite team (while being on their territory) s/he will officially be ‘stoned’ (not allowed to move) at the spot. His revival is only possible by being touched by someone from his own team. Whoever gets the hold of flag, is not allowed to hand it over to somebody else, so he has to deliver it to the other side. The team that steals enemy flag first, is the winner.

Red, Yellow or Black – This game represents a fusion of ‘Truth or Dare’ and ‘Spin the Bottle’. The kids (well, teenagers more likely) sit in a circle. One of them closes their eyes and the rest point at one person and ask ‘Red, Yellow or Black?’ If red is chosen, the ‘chooser’ has to kiss the one the kids have pointed at. In case of yellow – three questions are asked and black means a slap in the face. The receiver of all these ‘colors’ has to close his eyes and pick next.

Bird on a Tree – Another physically active game is based on the principles of ‘Catch Me if You Can.’ One person chases everyone else and tries to catch them. The only protection the ‘fugitives’ get is if they approach a tree and shout ‘Bird on a Tree!’ Then they are untouchable by the big bad wolf.

Name the City – And in the end, a game that develops the intellectual side of kids’ nature. All it needs are a pen and a paper. A letter from alphabet is chosen and the players have to fill the graphs with the words starting from that letter. The graphs are those of a country, a city, a river/mountain, a plant, an animal, a celebrity (dead or alive), a movie and a book. Whoever finishes first says stop, and those who have not filled some graphs put 0 in the empty ones. In case only one person fills a graph, 15 points are written, in case two have similar names written, they each get 5 points and in case any two players write in different names in same categories, each get 10 points. In the end, all the points are summed and the winner is announced.

Next week: Top 5 ways to dispose of a corpse