New Games: Mixers and More

New Games: Mixers and More! SWUSY Regionals 2012: Oy-lympics Jonas Actor, SWUSY REC VP 2011-2012

NOTE: All of these games are taken from the New Games Movement, with permission from the creators to play these games and build upon them for recreational use. If you are going to play these games, make sure you have fun!

Goals:  Have fun!  Get to know the people around you better  Build upon the group’s leadership and interaction skills  Foster a healthy spirit of friendly competition  Hold a dynamic and interactive game (or two)

Methods: The New Games Movement was developed in the 1970’s in California and is based upon the motto “Play Hard, Play Fair, Nobody Hurt.” The Games’ goals are to foster healthy competition that leaves everyone playing a feeling of satisfaction and happiness. For those of you who haven’t heard of the New Games movement before, New Games was the group who formally developed Lap Tag (although back in the 1970’s it was called Wink) and turned Lap Tag into a real game. All of the New Games games have an improv-like aspect to them in that they are what you make of them. Each game is different but very entertaining. Below are descriptions of how to play 16 New Games games, each with write-ups of how to play. Enjoy!

Game: Aura  Type: Mixer  Time: 3-5 minutes  Number of People: As many as you want, as long as everyone can pair up  Materials: none  Methods: Everyone must pair up. Pairs then stand apart and face each other at an arm’s length away. Touch palms and close your eyes, and feel the energy that the connection between your palms is creating. Keeping your eyes closed, drop your hands and spin around in place five times (or more!). Then try to relocate the energy between y’all and touch palms again, all while keeping your eyes closed.

Game: Catch the Dragon’s Tail  Type: Group Game or Mixer  Time: 5-15 minutes  Number of People: 2 or more teams of 8-12 people each  Materials: a good amount of space; 2 bandanas or socks  Methods: Each team lines up, one behind the other, with their arms around the waist or shoulders of the person in front of them. The last person in line takes the bandana and sticks it in the back of his belt. Each team is a dragon; the bandana is its tail. It is the mission of each dragon to catch the other dragon’s tail; however, the people in the middle cannot let go of the person in front of them. The winner is the dragon who can capture the tail of the dragon in front of it. To play with more than two teams, each team gets a banana or a sock and then all the dragons go at it free-for-all style to capture as many dragon tails as they can while being the last one standing.

Game: Human Pinball  Type: Group Game  Time: 10 min  Number of People: 8-14 people (you can play with more, but it’s not recommended)  Materials: ball  Methods: All but one of the group circles up and then turn around to be facing outward. Spread your legs until your feet are comfortably touching the feet of the people next to you. Everyone then bends down and keeps his arms hanging between their legs- they have just become pinball flippers. The one person not in the circle is in the middle of the circle and is a movable target. He can move around inside the circle as much as he wants. The goal of all the flippers is to shoot the ball and hit the target; if they do so, they get a point. If the ball somehow escapes the circle, the target gets a point. After a few points are scored, a new target is chosen from the flippers. Winner is the one with the most points after a set amount of time.

Game: Go-Tag  Type: Group Game  Time: 10-20 min  Number of people: 6-16  Materials: a decent amount of space  Methods: Everyone squats in a straight line, with every other person facing the opposite direction. (NOTE: direction are to the left and right of the line, NOT towards the head or tail) Think of the line as a central axis of sorts, with an oval running track around the ends of the line. The person at one of the ends is the first runner. He may run around the track in either direction. The person at the other end is the first chaser and must chase the first runner. He can start going either direction, but he cannot change direction (aka from clockwise to counterclockwise, etc.) once he has started. The object of the game is for the chaser to tag the runner. To keep this game from just being a giant chase around a circle, the chaser has the ability to tag the back of anyone in line, and the tapped player begins to chase the runner in place of the chaser, who takes his place squatting in line. The tapped player must start running in the direction he is facing/squatting. This ability to tag someone and change the side, direction, and fatigue level of the chaser is what makes this game special- by tagging someone in line, you gain the ability to jump across the center axis without having to go all the way around. A helpful tip is to work together with the other people in line and to tag wisely.

Game: Fox and Squirrel  Type: Mixer or Group Game  Time: 5-15 min  Number of people: 8-16  Materials: 3 balls, one of which must be different than the other two (different size, color, etc)  Methods: Everyone stands in a circle. The different ball is the “squirrel” and the other two balls are “foxes.” The object of the game is for the foxes to catch the squirrel by tagging whoever is holding the squirrel ball with one or both of the fox balls. A fox can move from one person to the next, meaning that you can only pass the foxes to the people beside you. However, squirrels- light and nimble creatures- can jump across the circle, meaning that you can throw the squirrel ball to someone on the other side of the circle. When you pass either ball, you must yell “Fox” or “Squirrel” in addition to just passing the ball. Try to keep the game going as long as possible 

Game: Rattlers  Type: Group Game  Time: 15 min  Number of people: 10-15  Materials: 2 blindfolds; 2 rattles  Methods: Everyone forms a circle around two players. Both are blindfolded and given a rattle. The goal is for one of the rattlers, the pursuer, to tag the other, the prey. To get a fix on the other’s position, the pursuer may shake his rattle at any time, and the pray must immediately respond by shaking hers. However, a pursuer rattler may only initiate five shakes to locate the pray. The pray can rattle as much as he or she desires. The people on the outside of the circle keep the rattlers confined to one area and also offer support, tips, cheers, and keeping track how many times the pursuer has rattled. The people on the outside can also shift shapes, therefore changing the size of the snake pit. If people want to make the occasional hissing sound, they are more than encouraged!

Game: Snake-In-The-Grass  Type: Group Game or Mixer  Time: 15-20 min  Number of people: 10-25  Materials: none  Methods: One person starts as the ‘it’ snake and lies down on his belly. Everyone else must gather around and place a finger on the back of the snake before the game can begin. Once the game starts, everybody runs to try to avoid being tagged by the snake, while the snake, moving on his belly, tries to tag as many people as he can. If someone is tagged, they become a snake as well. Note: all snakes must hiss!

Game: Dho-Dho-Dho  Type: Definitely a Group Game  Time: 20-30 min  Number of people: 2 even teams of 10-15  Materials: space; something to demarcate a center line  Methods: Each team stands on either side of the line. Then, one team sends one member of the team across to the other side to tag as many people as he or she can before returning to his home side. However, a runner must constantly say “Dho-Dho-Dho” under his breath for the entire time he is on the other side. If he takes a breath, or runs out of breath, or stops saying Dho for any reason, he is stuck on the other team and becomes a faithful member for the other side. However, if he can successfully tag people and cross the line all while saying Dho in only one breath, anyone he tagged has now been converted onto his team. To stop the runner from successfully completing a run, one may use as much force as necessary (remember, DON’T HARM ANYONE!) to hold back the runner until he runs out of breath. Once a runner has completed his run, the other team chooses a runner and then it’s his or her turn to send someone across. Game ends when either time runs out, or a team has all been converted to the other team.

Game: Slaughter  Type: Group Game  Time: Really as long as you want  Number of people: 2 teams, each less than 30  Materials: a specific, set boundary to play in; 2 innertubes or large baskets; 2 medicine balls (a smaller form of ball works better if necessary)  Methods: Each team takes off their shoes and gets on their knees. Then, each ball is placed in the center of the basket/innertube, one given to each team. Once the game begins, each team must try to get their ball into the other team’s basket. As long as you stay on your knees and stay in bounds, anything goes to either protect your basket or move your ball. If any part of you crosses the boundary, you are out and must leave the game. Therefore, one of the most popular strategies is to try to push the opposing team’s members out of the arena. You can do this alone, or you can team up with other members on your team to ‘gang up’ on members of the opposition. Remember to play fair, as no one likes someone who uses too much force.  Another version of this game is called Annihilation, which is the same as Slaughter but without the balls- the goal is to force the other team out of the arena.

Game: Amoeba Race  Type: Group Game or Mixer  Time: No idea, honestly  Number of People: about 15-20 per cell  Materials: none  Methods: Each group of 15-20 people will create an amoeba cell. To do so, they need a cell wall, cytoplasm, and a nucleus. The people of the cell wall link elbows/arms facing outward and tightly contain the cytoplasm, other people who must remain inside the cell walls, packed in as tightly as possible. A cell nucleus is chosen and he/she is hoisted on top of the cytoplasm, held in the air by the multitude of arms and bodies within the cell. The nucleus directs the cell and coordinates its movements.  Once you’ve created your cell, feel free to try to complete various tasks, or race with a neighbor cell in some form of a relay. Have fun!

Game: Killer  Type: Group Game or Mixer  Time: 10-20 min  Number of People: 10-30  Materials: none  Methods: everyone sits down in a circle, closes their eyes, and puts their heads down. One person is named the murderer. Once the murderer is named, everyone can open their eyes and start to mingle and walk around. They are citizens of a village that is being attacked by the murderer. To kill a person, the murderer winks at his victim, or gives him a “fuzzy handshake,” and shortly thereafter, the victim dies in his best theatrical death he can imagine. The murderer then goes on and can kill as many people as he so desires. In order to catch the murderer, a villager must state that he has an accusation, and then another villager must second the accusation. They both then point to the person they believe is the murderer. If they both guess right, then the game is over and the village is saved. If either one of them guesses wrong, both of them die, and play continues. The game lasts until the village is saved or is killed.

Game: Loose Caboose  Type: Group Game  Time: 15-20 min  Number of People: 10 or more  Materials: space  Methods: Everyone gets into groups of three- a Train engine, a Railcar, and a Caboose. The train then couples and puts their arms on each others waists/shoulders. There are two people not in a train- one is “it,” and the other is a “loose caboose.” It must try to tag the Loose Caboose. However, if the Loose Caboose joins onto an already-existing train, then the entire train shifts- the Loose Caboose is no longer loose and is just a caboose; the caboose becomes the railcar, and the railcar becomes the train engine. As the train can only have three cars, the old train engine is now loose, and he becomes the new loose caboose whom It tries to tag. Each train can move around to try to avoid the loose caboose. Play until game starts to fizzle out. The game is a lot more interesting if there are more than one loose cabooses (caboosi?) and “it”s running around.

Game: Knock Your Socks Off  Type: Group Game  Time: As long as you want  Number of People: As many as you want, but 20 is a good number  Materials: space, socks  Methods: Everyone sits down in their socks. Then, it’s a free-for-all to try to remove everyone else’s socks off while keeping yours on your feet. You must stay on your knees/arms/butt for the entire game- no standing up! Last man standing wins.

Game: Elbow Tag  Type: Group Game  Time: 15 min  Number of People: 20-30  Materials: space  Methods: Everyone finds a partner, and then they lock elbows, keeping his outside elbow bent and his outside hand on his waist. One volunteer is “it” and another is the runner. Of course, It tries to tag the runner, but the runner can lock elbows with any person. When that happens, the third person in the link becomes the new runner and must run away from the link as fast as they can to avoid being tagged. Gameplay lasts until people tire of the game.

Game: Elephant, Palm Tree, Monkey  Type: Group Game  Time: As long as you want  Number of People: As many as you want  Materials: space  Methods: We are in a jungle world, made up of palm trees, elephants, and monkeys. An elephant is composed of on person who turns himself into a long trunk and then two other players, one on each side of the trunk, who become large, floppy ears. A palm tree has a large trunk that reaches towards the sky, and has two palm fronds arching gracefully at its side. Monkeys always travel in groups of three, striking a “hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil” pose. The game begins with one person in the middle who is the “spinner,” who is placed in the middle of the circle. The spinner then spins around and points to a person while yelling out either elephant, palm tree, or monkey. The person who is pointed to assumes the middle role of the trio, and the two people flanking him must complete the pose. The person who reacts the slowest to the spinner is out; when he becomes out, he becomes the spinner for the next round before being replaced and then removed from gameplay. Game ends when there are only three people remaining.

Game: Everybody’s It  Type: Group Game  Time: Very short, unless played multiple times  Number of People: The more, the better  Materials: SPACE!  Methods: Well… as the name suggests, everybody’s it, trying to tag everyone else. Once you’re tagged, you’re out and become an obstacle for everyone else to avoid. Winner is the last one standing!

Enjoy these games! And, remember the New Games motto: Play Hard, Play Fair, Nobody Hurt.