Elementary School Games of Yesteryear, Revisited
As people age they cross more and more thresholds, often resulting in a laundry list of privileges little kids can only dream of, whether it’s driving a car, seeing R-rated movies or even making your vote count. Unfortunately, with each passing year many people lose a little more of their youthful zest for life, despite being able to live with a little more choice and freedom. Hopefully, these blasts from the past will help take you back to a better time and restore a little bit of the pep in your step.Pogs Not since pet rocks has a popular fad been so affordable. Of course, if you want to pay more than a couple bucks for a bag of glorified bottle caps, feel free. While Pogs are commonly remembered as widespread collector’s items, some may recall the corresponding game of the same name. To play, stack a tower of pogs, equally contributed from the collection of each player, and send them flying by smashing the stack with a plastic “Slammer” piece. The Pogs that land face up are kept by whoever slammed the stack. Play can continue until one player calls it quits or has no Pogs remaining.Pencil-breaker Any two people with standard 2 pencils can engage in the schoolyard battle called pencil-breaker. Try to select your least chewed pencil, as wooden strength is a key to victory. Play begins with Player 1 holding his pencil out, tip in one hand, eraser in the other. Space out your hands to ensure player safety. Player 2 will hold his pencil in one hand, as if to make the “we’re 1″ gesture, with the index finger running parallel to the pencil. When both players are ready, Player 2 will rear back and smash his pencil perpendicularly across the extended pencil of Player 1. The first person to break the other player’s pencil wins. However, if the pencil breaks on the first strike, Player 1 will get a chance for rebuttal. To finish the game, the victor will be granted to opportunity slap the loser as hard as he wants across the back of the calf, resulting in either a light tap clearly defined hand print, pending player preference.Tamagotchi When its Japanese creators finally gave kids a game that actually responded to a young person’s decision making, they revolutionized the concept of responsibility for legions of elementary schoolers. Finally, parents with children too immature to care for an actual pet found a suitable compromise, as Tamagotchis, unlike dogs or cats, come back to life with a simple reset button. Furbies attempted to follow in similar footsteps, though many owners were soon annoyed with their loud incomprehensible demands. For adults considering having children but unsure if they’re ready, or maybe lonely men and women lacking companionship, a Tamagotchi can still serve a practical purpose. A word to the wise, if you’re wondering why your Tamagotchi keeps dying despite his delicious assortment of treats, the shaded triangles aren’t Hershey’s Kisses, they’re digital excrement.