It's simple: games are memes, and they replicate, and certain basic games are very well adapted to the environment of the child's mind.
An even more odd example of a meme replicating among children: the song "London Bridge Is Falling Down" is sung by children in virtually every language around the world... even in countries where they have no idea what London is, let alone London Bridge. (Which probably includes the U.S., sadly.) I find that even more difficult to explain... but it's true nonetheless.
interesting questions. not sure it's just memes. wonder if "play" isn't hardwired in many species. certainly young primates, canines, felines, bears, birds, etc. exhibit play-like behavior. one presumptive explanation is that such behavior is selective: wolf cubs playing tag or crouch-and-pounce learn hunting/survival skills. but watching a couple of bear or lion cubs romp, it also seems that there's an element of sheer fun to the play.
All those countries have British roots. Burma was a colony. Nepal provided many of the troops that allowed England to rule the world (the Gurkhas). As all good members of the Empire do, they play football, polo and Cricket. If they play the grown up games, why would they not play the kids games?
So... do they play these games in non-Anglo places, like say, Peru? Tribes in the Congo? Tribes in the backwater of the Amazon?
it's chimp's play
"Animal play is not usually a solitary affair. Young primates "organize" games not unlike those you'd see on a human playground. "Chimps and gorillas play games like hide-and-seek, follow the leader, and king of the mountain," says Frank Poirier, an anthropologist at The Ohio State University."
Science World
http://findarticles.com/p/articl...is_/
ai_15252767
A friend from Nigeria says Nigerian kids play tag, freeze tag and hide-and-seek, but not red-light-green-light. They also call freeze tag by the same name - "freeze tag". But the game tag in Nigeria is called "run and run-after" game, which is quite similar to how the Burmese calls the game - "Ready, Run, Run-After" game.
It seems to me that the rules of tag and hide-and-seek are simple enough to be universal, not only in human but also in animals. However, I think Hanno is right on with regards to the games like freeze tag and red-light-green-light which have more detailed and "complicated" rules.
"Had a student in my logic class mude with some friends about the universality of games."
Is "mude" some fancy philosopher term or a typo? I can't quite figure out what it would be a typo of..."made" doesn't make sense in context.
It think he meant "muse."
Anyway, it is a fascinating question, wish I had an answer! I think Kerry's hypothesis is powerful, but that's mostly in the absence of evidence!
Maybe it's german: müde (tired)
Other mammals will also play games related to hiding (hide and pounce, as mentioned). This isn't surprising at all. We were hunters too. The Republicans still are.
I find that even more difficult to explain... but it's true nonetheless.
People across the globe know name brands, and can sing jingles. They may have never seen much less bought the product, and they may well not know precisely what the jingle is promoting. We're slowly getting closer and closer to a global community. A community based on consumption, exploitation, and commercialization. God bless us, everyone.
Our Wittegenstein reading group happened on just this question, and there wasn't a really solid answer. I'm more disposed, philosophically, to accept kerry's explanation, but this is a question that's haunted me for some time.
Our Wittegenstein reading group happened on just this question
"If a wolf cub playing tag could say 'You're it', could we understand him?"
"The additional bit of evidence they supplied was that terminology was not translation or transliteration. For example, in Burma, freeze tag is called statue tag and the person doing the tagging is not called it, but the tiger. If the game had been carried over, the rules likely would have brought with them the terminology, but here are terms that make more sense culturally."
Could you explain? I do not see the logical argument behind this. As a counter-example: what about chess pieces that have been adapted to the local culture as the game moved west?
Commenting by HaloScan
