When I was a kid I used to play a game with no name. This game was kind of like “hide and seek” mixed with “good guys versus bad guys”. My brother, our friends, and I used to split up into two groups and go to the desert. Then one group would be the “bad guys” and go and hide while the other group would wait for about 5 minutes and then go to find the first group. We would always don our favorite weapons which consisted of one or more of the following; a stick, some small rocks or little desert fruits, and of course the rope. If the “good guys” found the “bad guys” then they would capture them and put them in the area designated the prison. If a “bad guy” found the prison then they could free the rest of the captured “bad guys”. Some times it was okay to switch teams but traitors were never really trusted. Thinking about this game now, since I have studied sociology, has really highlighted the sociological implications of what this game actually taught me.
Children learn their “proper” role, what society expects, while playing games like this. This game taught me about the importance of teamwork and how to use it. Being the oldest brother, I also got to learn a lot about leadership. Since I grew up in the harsh Arizona desert, playing outside in the middle of the day, automatically taught me various survival skills. I knew which plants you could eat and what you could not eat I knew the importance of water and had a canteen which really kept me alive. Most importantly, I learned the difference between men and women because there was never a girl playing this game, only boys were allowed, therefore there was a distinction from men and women. When I was growing up if all the guys were playing and one guy would have stayed to play with the girls, everyone else would wonder, “What is wrong with that guy”. This game really taught me what society expects a man to do all around. This game has brought out a lot of the qualities in me that I never would have had otherwise because I would have not developed them. Next time you see little children playing children’s games like the one I told you about, don’t think about how childish it is, think about the skills those kids are gaining as a result of the game.
