Stereotypes in Basketball

Regardless of race there are always "those" players.

Beginer Games

Final post: board game humor

                  



         This post in a video clip from the Jimmy Fallon Tonight show where he talks the worst board games ever created. I found the clip to be very funny and I wanted to share it for entertainment and also because it show how some game companies are really going to any extreme just to make money. I believe board games and cards game as well are a very important way of uniting family or cultures, but I also believe that sometimes game companies  take advantage of that to market their products.

Top 10 Branded Board Games and my experiences with board games

              Of the top 10 brand board games mentioned in the video clip I grew up playing Monopoly, Life, Battleship, Chutes and Ladders, and Scrabble. My favorite which I mentioned in a previous post was Monopoly because it was the most enjoyable for me. I remember playing these board games with my older sister and friends or with my family on rainy days or on Sunday afternoons. Chutes and Ladders I remember playing as a child in Mexico with my cousins because the game was also very popular over there. In elementary school  one time by fifth grade teacher had us play the game battleship as a way to understand the x and y axes of a graph and as a way to teach us how to plot coordinates.

              Overall, I think board games are very useful tools to enhance peoples' knowledge. Many of the games I grew up playing or play today are able to teach the players something useful for real life. From the game monopoly I learned about investment in property and taxes. From the game Life I learned about car investments, health insurance, and family expenses. Through the game Scrabble I improved my vocabulary and spelling. In essence all of these games have taught me something from a very young age and all of these lessons I have used now as an adult.

                   

cultural history of playing cards

       In one of my previous post I talked about how the different editions of the board game Monopoly
   were influenced by the different cultures. For this post I found the same idea to be true for the creation of a deck of cards. Historically playing cards have been around since the 14th century and since then these traditional deck of cards have been used in gambling, games, fortune telling, advertising, and in artwork all around the world.
         Cultural diversity led to the various printing techniques and the creation of different stereotypical card designs. For instance, in some areas of Europe some packs had symbols of animals, flowers, and everyday objects while in other regions the packs had images of kings, queens, and attendants printed on them. What is quite intriguing is that within one region or culture the various political or traditional ideas is what led to the various printed card decks.
Like with the game Bingo it seems that in the 14th century card packs spread in popularity to other
Countries and in the process the printing techniques and images changed to assimilate with the local culture.
         
Today playing cards are used to play games like:

- Blackjack (U.S)
-Truco (Brazil)
- Mus (Spain)
-Ocho Locos ( Puerto Rico)
- Dai Fugo (Japan)
- Escobar de 15 (Uruguay)
-Brag (UK)





Argentina


Kenya


Brazilian


Iran

link to page

Mancala: Traditional African mathematical game.

 

Background/History
       
             Mancala is a traditional African board game which is played in various forms throughout African and other countries. There are hundreds of different versions of the game played. According to the literature, Mancala is a game that is enjoyed by everyone in Africa from royalty to villagers of all ages. The game has been a part of the culture and family traditions for many Africans. The game is played not only has a form of entertainment, but it has also been used as a ceremonial right of passage in some villages.


Reflection
              The concept on the game is to be the player with the most marbles or pieces in your bin or Kalama. Mancala is a two player game and the only thing needed to play the game is a Mancala board ( wooded board with carved out bins) and 48 playing pieces. What I found interesting is that in many African villages the children and even adults play the game by digging small holes in the ground and they use small rocks or pebbles as playing pieces. It was very moving to see how these children used any materials they have to enjoy a game that is so tied to their cultural history. Seeing the images below sparked my curiosity to find out how the American version of the game is being sold in the U.S. I found out that in places like WalMart and ToysRus the game is sold for 10-12 dollars. I personally thought that to be interesting and a bit unjust for the children who can't afford to make or buy the game board and instead use their imaginations to play the game, while in the U.S big game company's are making money of the "Mancala game"  that is really very different from the culturally traditional version played in Africa.

American Advertised Versions of Mancala

 

 

Reflexivity

My approach to the blog was to focus on what I already knew about unity in diversity and play. When I think of play obviously children come into mind, this is why I chose to write about the child's side of play and unity. I was attending college to become an Elementary school teacher, although I do like children I decided that here in Florida the money wasn't right for a lifelong career choice. Many of my assignments while taking courses within the teaching program focused on child's play and unity in the classroom. Helping children come together through play is detrimental at a young age and helps with acceptance and learning behaviors. Although I am a Public Relations major now I still believe that bringing people together to understand a specific strategy or plan will be important, maybe not through play necessarily but definitely through explanation, interactive and visual approaches. I had a great time working with Blogger for the first time and being able to create our own personal page! Please feel free to check it out more :)