My first-grader was telling us about his school day at dinner last night. We were nodding our heads and making appreciative noises. He proceeded to tell us about P.E. class.
The P.E. teacher taught the kids a game called President. (nod, grunt)
One kid is the President. (nod)
Another kid is the Bodyguard. (grunt)
A third kid tries to hit the President with a ball (below the waist only). (nod, wha?)
The Bodyguard tries to protect the President from the thrown ball. (stare)
If the President is hit, he's "out".
The Bodyguard then becomes the President, and the thrower becomes the next Bodyguard.
Apparently my son is very good at this game. Which is great, but did I hear right? Are my kid's teachers really teaching the students a game about presidential assassination?
Way weird, man.
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
yeah - wonder what the Secret Service would think about that. Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
And what's the deal with "Tag"? I don't want my kids turning into little exclusivists!
It's best not to think about children's games in adult terms. Kids don't make those connections.
Remember Cowboys and Indians?
Posted by Olivet (Member # 1104) on :
They play this game called "Untited Nations" at the boys' martial arts class. I have watched this game played countless times, and I have no idea what the rules are.
It seems to involve a lot of throwing balls at people. O_O
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
quote: The P.E. teacher taught the kids a game called President.
I don't know what came first: the Counter-Strike game or this game. Does anyone know? Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
I'd love to have played Kill the Fool with the Chicken in first grade. Still the best FPS multi-player game as far as pure fun and havoc goes. Was something similar ever added to any game besides Outlaw?
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
So, this is basically a variation on "Monkey in the Middle."
Sounds like more fun that what WE did in first grade PE...
Posted by aspectre (Member # 2222) on :
"...teaching the students...presidential assassination?"
No -- "...kid tries to hit the President with a ball (below the waist..." -- prevention of another Monicagate.
Posted by Miro (Member # 1178) on :
quote:Originally posted by UofUlawguy: The Bodyguard then becomes the President, and the thrower becomes the next Bodyguard.
That's an interesting line of succession. Not to mention a conflict of interest.
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
quote:Originally posted by El JT de Spang: It's best not to think about children's games in adult terms. Kids don't make those connections.
Remember Cowboys and Indians?
I don't know about that...
See instead of playing Comboys and Indians, my brother and cousins and I would play games such as Republicans vs. Democrat. As the youngest and only female, I was automatically the Democrat. Now we're all grown up and my cousins are extremely conservative (one thinks Limbaugh is too liberal), and I'm pretty liberal.
Then again, we used to play Iran-Iraq war as well and none of them grew up to be Iraqis and I'm certainly not an Iranian...
And no, I'm not joking about the games.
Posted by OSTY (Member # 1480) on :
quote:Originally posted by Miro:
quote:Originally posted by UofUlawguy: The Bodyguard then becomes the President, and the thrower becomes the next Bodyguard.
That's an interesting line of succession. Not to mention a conflict of interest.
I was thinking the same thing...I mean let the President take a ball to the legs cause I want to be president!
Posted by Destineer (Member # 821) on :
quote:Then again, we used to play Iran-Iraq war
That must've been fun. "We're getting gassed again! Cough, cough."
Posted by El JT de Spang (Member # 7742) on :
I just always remember that all children are insane by adult definitions of sanity. Therefore things that seem appalling to us are perfectly normal for kids.
Risuena, I wonder if you being a liberal is more connected with the "team" you grew up on, or more connected with the fact that you're always on opposite sides from your cousins? In other words, had you been the "Republican" growing up, would you still be liberal now? Would your cousins still be conservative?
That sounds like a staggeringly boring game, by the way.
Posted by Risuena (Member # 2924) on :
Eh... I don't really think the game had anything to do with it. I just love the fact that everytime they complain about me being a liberal, I can blame it on them.
The game and the teams definitely evolved out of our family culture in that my family is entirely Republican and therefore the good team to be on was the "Republican" team (Btw - I still struggle with the concept of being a registered Democrat - the child in me rebels). So the only way the boys would have choosen to be on the "Democrat" team is if that's what the family was. I don't think I'd have wound up a conservative had the roles been reversed because I think, if anything, my liberalness comes out of my education and my experiences in my choosen profession.
I don't remember either game particularly clearly - I was young, I always lost, it sucked - but I think both were just variations on cops & robbers. But it still sucked.
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
A game wherein you can only hit BELOW the waist?
I definitely spent my P.E. classes in the wrong schools. Think of all the spawn I could have prevented!
Posted by raventh1 (Member # 3750) on :
Counter-Strike has a VIP mode, where you protect the VIP. Or if you are on the Terrorist side you try to prevent the escape.
I've played lots of games like this, we never used 'President' that I recall except for scum (card game).
You do have to pick a name for the target or the respected position. President wouldn't be that hard to understand that someone would want to protect. I don't think it's a bad thing at all. Any tactics or experience kids can get with tactics is awesome in my opinion. I loved playing Capture the Flag, and Prison. Prison we'd have one person hunt, one guard the prison, and everyone else out hiding. You could free people from the 'prison' that was usually just a rectangular place.
Prison meaning some place you don't want to be. President meaning something you do, and you want to stay as.
Posted by romanylass (Member # 6306) on :
That's just really strange. I wouldn't want my sons playing a game where you're supposed to hit below the waist. I want grandkids.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:I would play games such as Republicans vs. Democrat
Filibuster!
Posted by Father Time (Member # 7985) on :
Actually, this is a pilot for a new Fox reality show.
Couldn't be much worse tha n what they already have
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
When I was in elementary school we played a game called "Jail" where one group of kids would be the guards and try to tag the other group. Once tagged the guard would walk the prisoner to a piece of playground equipment designated as the jail. If one of the "free" people got past the guards and tagged the jail that would be breaking everyone out of jail so they could run around and have a chance to be tagged again. Repeat until recess is over.
Then in fourth grade I changed to elementary school in the same district. It turned out kids at my new school played the same game except it was called "Jews in Germany" Seriously. Mr. Eisenstat was not very happy when he found out about that.
--Enigmatic
Posted by Mariann (Member # 8724) on :
In my elementary school, my P.E. teacher had a Star Wars game. The person who was "it" was either Princess Leia or Luke Skywalker. And they had to stand in a hula hoop. : /
And my fifth grade teacher created a Star Trek-y Brainquest/b-ball game with a crapload of candy as the reward. We had "away teams" and whatnot.
Elementary school teachers are crazy.
~M
Posted by Carrie (Member # 394) on :
quote:It turned out kids at my new school played the same game except it was called "Jews in Germany"
I feel like a terrible person for finding that really ridiculously funny. I'm still snickering.
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
In hindsight, I wonder how it ever got that name. I don't really remember WW2 being covered much in elementary school history, but I have a hard time thinking of a grownup teaching the kids the game with that name (in suburban MN, anyway).
--Enigmatic
Posted by foundling (Member # 6348) on :
"I feel like a terrible person for finding that really ridiculously funny. I'm still snickering."
Your not alone . This line made me laugh out loud, at work... "Mr. Eisenstat was not very happy when he found out about that" I dont know why. Anyways, we actually played the game Jail when I was in elementary school, with a slight variation. When the guard caught you and took you back to the prison, he had to kiss you. Thats right, the guards were mostly he's, and the prisoners mostly shes. The first time I played it, I was in 1st grade, and didnt know the rules. I got caught, and when the "guard" tried to exercise his guardly privilages, I beat the living crap out of him. I mean, I had him up against the tires and wailing for his mommy before a teacher pulled me off him. Strangly enough, I continued playing Jail throughout the year, though the guards seemed kind of reluctant to catch me. Man, kids are weird. I cant believe the teachers never saw us marching captives up to base and bussing them on the lips, either.
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester:
quote:I would play games such as Republicans vs. Democrat
Filibuster!
Nuclear Option!
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
When I was in Germany as an exchange student, I saw kids playing in a playground fort - they were playing a sort of Berlin Wall game where the fort was the wall and they were guards and so on. (This was 1978.)
Posted by Enigmatic (Member # 7785) on :
quote: This line made me laugh out loud, at work... "Mr. Eisenstat was not very happy when he found out about that" I dont know why.
Because it's a well-crafted punchline with the extra bonus of being completely true?
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