Talk:Tag (game)/Archive 1

Issues
Why does Murder In The Dark redirect here? That game is a variation of Mafia, not tag. — Preceding unsigned comment added by 74.131.185.15 (talk) 23:20, 5 August 2012 (UTC)
 * "Murder in the Dark" is a game of sorts that involves attacking each other in a darkly-lit interior, usually with objects like pillows or nerf bats. It really has little to do with tag, other than the tangential element of physical contact. 24.99.161.46 (talk) 23:43, 15 May 2013 (UTC)

Re:Smear the Queer--I'm not sure the distinction between the Victorian sense and the modern sense is firmly grasped by all of the players. Meelar 04:27, 19 Mar 2004 (UTC)


 * Victorian? Queer has only taken on the "modern" sense of the word in the past few half century or so. 152.91.9.219 (talk) 04:25, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

Why does smear the queer redirect to tag? The childhood game that was called that in California wasn't a variant of "tag"

Heh, compared to other articles I've started, this one is sure getting a lot of attention. It's great! Perhaps everyone is nostalgic for the days when they played these games as kids? I know I am... being a smaller kid, I could always fit into the best hiding spots in Hide and Seek. :) Thanks, everyone! Garrett Albright 23:14, 23 Mar 2004 (UTC)

Sorry if I am being curmudgeonly in saying so, but in my opinion, this article could use a major overhaul. The "variants" section has numerous redundancies under different names, some variant descriptions are confusing or not even internally consistent, and there is no uniformity of terminology (tag, tig, tug, "it", "on", etc.). I also feel that although related games like Hide and Seek or Dodgeball should be mentioned but not necessarily considered variants of tag as they are well-known distinct games. I realize that because this is a widely varying and constantly evolving childs game it is impossible to cover it all, but as an article, we should strive to be concise even if the game itself is not. I would make the changes myself but I am afraid that in doing so it would be a significant enough change as to get reverted right away unless I brought it up in advance. Does anyone else have thoughts on it? norm77 19:59, 15 November 2006 (UTC)


 * The Opies adopt the name "Touch" for this class of games. A useful term in my view. Francis Davey 12:39, 10 March 2007 (UTC)

Local variants
Given that such games very often have local variations, I wonder if there is scope for apage structure to allow people to indicate where particular rules are popular (the 'lifting' variant of British Bulldog was de rigueur in my part of southern England (and is now banned in all schools!). Icundell 13:59, 29 Oct 2004 (UTC)


 * Sure, why the heck not? Garrett Albright 06:32, 30 Oct 2004 (UTC)

According to a study done in New Zealand into Playground Language by Laurie and Winifred Bauer (2002), the word "Tig" is the term mainly used in Scotland. They refer to several sources in their study to back this up. I myself grew up in Scotland and the term "Tig" was always used and I have never heard of the term "Chase". Though, when I used to holiday in Southern England when I was a kid I would often play "Tag" with other kids instead of "Tig", though in London it was always "Tig" as in Scotland and Northern England.

The web address of the New Zealand study: - http://www.vuw.ac.nz/lals/research/Playground/docs/lip11.pdf

When I was a kid, we played a game called "Vampires" that was a tag variant. "It" tags people and they are frozen. If someone who isn't frozen tagged them back, they were unfrozen and they could run around again. When someone was frozen, they had to count up to a certain number, like 30. And once they reach the determined number, they were "it" along with the original "it." That way, eventually everyone became a "Vampire" and the last person left who wasn't "it", ie wasn't a Vampire, became the new "it" for the next round. Good fun. It's probably not suitable for this article unless other people played a similar game. I think we might have made up the exact variant ourselves. ---Peter 03:52, 6 December 2006 (UTC)

That very similar to "Freeze Tag" where I grew up. In Freeze Tag, however, people stay frozen "forever", or until everyone is frozen (at which point "It" is the winner); if one person is frozen and unfrozen three times, they become "It". 69.202.64.25 —Preceding signed but undated comment was added at 22:47, 2 October 2007 (UTC)

I see you have a snub for every game, why are they not coalated on one page under a viaent title. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.238.252.2 (talk) 22:37, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

freeze tag
I recall paying this variant of the game many times as a child an not once did I hear anything about crawling in between someones legs to unfreeze them. I recall a none it player had to merely touch the frozen player. This is an example of how this article is more speculation than anything. It should be stressed more in the article that there are no definite rules and that they change from playground to playground. Salted Dragon (talk) 06:16, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

History
It might be a bit difficult, but I feel that tag should have some kind of history section. How much is known about the origins of tag? Did it exist in some form in all cultures? Is it as old as human society? Has it ever been celebrated as more than just a game for kids? I think there's a lot of material that could be added to a history section, if someone's willing to do the research. It isn't an easy google, though. -- Oarih 17:20, 15 Dec 2004 (UTC)

I think the trouble is that much of it comes from oral history. I would imagine that more recently, many of these games would be written down in elementary school phys-ed manuals, since my PE teachers were the first ones I ever learned some of these games from. Sharks and minnows, for example, I first learned as a game we would play at the end of swim class. Other variants I would imagine come as natural adaptations of the original game suited to the enviroment, with rule changes happening every five minutes, or as soon as someone shouts "that's not fair!" --Trevheg 14:14, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

I belive that the game will have its origins in many cultures and will be played by kids as a form of copying their parents on the hunt for pray. This game mimics very well the act of hunter and hunted much like a gazel running from a lion. This therey could date it back to the earlest of free thinking and playing men. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.238.252.2 (talk) 22:22, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Name of the game

 * Changed "Kill the guy who's got it" in the 'Smear the Queer' section to "Kill the guy with the ball" which is a much more common name. The later returns thousands of hits on Google.com, whereas the former returns none.

--Whimper 07:56, Feb 17, 2005 (UTC)

this is plain silly: "(the word is used in the Victorian sense of "strange person" rather than the modern definition of "homosexual", though contemporary players may interpret it in the latter sense)" -- what is the source of the author's psychic power regarding this matter? Anyway, another version of the name I've heard is "kill the pig". The hostility in the non-pc meaning of "queer" is I am sure well understand by anyone still using the term. When I played as a kid, I assumed we just called it that because it rhymed.

When I played, we always called it "Kill the Cow". I actually never heard of "Smeer the Queer" until now. It might have just been a local thing, though, but it might be worth mentioning as an alternate name.

I grew up knowing the game as smear the queer and I lived in Ann Arbor Michigan

--Slump 00:55, 2 December 2006 (UTC)

i grew up in pittsburgh, PA and "it" was always smear the queer or murder ball, and jimmy cunningham was always the best at "it". --Greg Alan Zimmerman 02:54, 16 June 2008 (UTC) —Preceding unsigned comment added by Gregz08 (talk • contribs)

Manhunt
When I read the rules for this game they seemed vastly different than how I remembered playing it, and sure enough Wikipedia has a seperate article on the game Manhunt which describes it how I remember it. I believe the Manhunt article should be merged with the current description of this tag variant.

--Jonathan Munz 01:36, 29 October 2005 (UTC)

I've done my best to fix this: the entry is linked to, and is closer fitting, with Manhunt (people game), and IRA has been moved to it's own subcategory (although this is somewhat unsatisfactory.)Threedeeglasses 18:08, 23 April 2006 (UTC)

Flashlight Tag
I removed the following:
 * Another variation of this game is when you have the same principle but the "it" player is called your mom. The goal is to kill "your mom". To accomplish this you must chase down "your mom", tie them up, and shine a flashlight in their eyes until they are blinded by the light. Once "your mom" is blinded the first player to catch them becomes the new "your mom".

Unless someone has a reference, I'm assuming this is a joke. Maybe I had an unusual childhood, but I don't remember playing any variants of tag that involved serial blinding, bondage, and killing your mom. --Clay Collier 10:00, 4 January 2006 (UTC)

In new zealand we have a viaent called spotlight tag, this is mostly played by scouts. The 'it' person is equipt with a flashlight and waits eyes closed for everyone to hide outside in the dead of night, in long grass, between trashcans, etc. Then they go and try to tag them with a flashlight. The hiders are free to move but risk being found, theres one version were if the seeker is having trubble they can call for the hiders to run to new locations where he can try to track them to find them. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.238.252.2 (talk) 22:28, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Flashlight tag was played in Canada as described above when I was growing up in the 80's.Kea2 (talk) 06:46, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Also another version popular in New Zealand (I dont know how to make new titles) is freeze tag, where the seekers upon tagging a runner freeze them where they have to stand in place untill a runner tags them again. When all runners are frozen the game begins again. This is usually played in teams with on seeker to every 3-6 runners. There is also a mod for quake 3 arena based on this game. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 125.238.252.2 (talk) 22:34, 14 December 2007 (UTC)

Who exactly (and where) calls ist "German Spotlight? And why on Earth would anyone find that offensive? -78.52.215.52 (talk) 13:47, 27 March 2010 (UTC)

Dub-dub-in
Did anyone every play this game but it was called "Go Home Stay Home" and you had to say that when you. returned to base? I think it might just be a New Zealand thing. --202.154.128.150 07:05, 9 January 2006 (UTC)

Prisoners in the Pit
Back at school (Swanbourne House, Buckinghamshire, UK) we used to play a game called 'Prisoners in the Pit.' It shows some similarities to 'Alien Tag,' except it is played in two equal teams; the "hunters" spread out to find the "runners." When a hunter tags a runner, they escort them back to the 'pit' (the 'base' in Alien Tag - our school had a sunken lawn with fairly steep edges so the 'pit' literally was a pit) and the runner must stay within the pit (can sit/stand/pace/whatever). Other runners can try and make it back to the pit untagged, and if a runner manages to run down into the pit without being tagged, they free all the runners in the pit, who are given a short period of immunity in which to get away. The fact that the game is played in teams allows for much more strategic action - it was common for hunters to travel in pairs, or for two or three hunters to remain at the pit as guards. The game also differs from Alien Tag in that a scoring system is in place; the hunters earn one point for each runner brought back to the pit, plus two points for each runner left in the pit at the end of the game; the runners earn (two + number of people in pit) points whenever they manage to free the pit.

However, I'm afraid I can't find anywhere to verify the info; I'm just going off what I remember (which may be innacurate). Anyone seen this game played, or seen any reference to it elsewhere?

- We play a game similar to this in New Hampshire, but we call it relevo, and when someone is caught they have to say "1, 2, 3, caught by me" while holding onto the caught player. If they can't do that, the player gets to go free. When people are trying to release the prisoners in "jail" they have to say "1, 2, 3, relevo" without getting caught, otherwise they just get added to the jail. The jail can only have 1 guard. I haven't been able to find anything on relevo, so that's why I looked on the wiki. (Relevo is pronounced relieve-o)


 * This sounds like a game that I played at church called "Romans and Christians." It was played in the church building with all the lights off, and the Romans tried to catch all of the Christians and put them in a designated jail. Meanwhile, one of the Romans was secretly a Christian, and would designate a secret church, which all of the Christians tried to get to. If a decided number of Christians were arrested, the Romans won, and likewise, if that number of Christians got to the secret church, they won. I browsed Google for it, and I found only a few references to it, but one was in Connecticut, and I've lived in Missouri all my life, so it seems to cover a large area, at least. Ghostofgauss 02:14, 5 May 2006 (UTC)


 * I already added that game under "Teams". I grew up in Ireland, and we used an area underneath a water tank as "Jail". We always had a girls team v. a boys team. We just called it "chasing", and the hunters were "On" while the runners were "Not On". EamonnPKeane 19:13, 31 May 2006 (UTC)

What is the name of this tag?
As a kid we played a version I don't know the name of. The point of this game is that everyone gathers in pairs linked arm-in-arm, usually boy/girl, with two or more people odd out. One is "it" and the other is the one they chase. The "chasee" gains safety by linking arms with a member of one of the pairs. The person they did not link arms with is then the chasee, who has to run and join to another pair and so on. For example, John and Mary are linked, Steve runs up and links arms with Mary, so John has to run from "it". If a person gets tagged, they are "it". Some variations have the players standing up or lying down. I know I have played this game in school, but I can't remember the actual name is, which is why I haven't added to the actual article. If someone played this variant and remembers the actual name can you let me know so I can add it to the article? Or you can add it if you want. --Trevheg 11:23, 5 January 2007 (UTC)--Trevheg 14:13, 6 June 2006 (UTC)

Ghost in the Graveyard
I just wanted to point out I've often heard this game called green ghost.

Smiteable

 * Tag is not, nor will it ever be, a "smiteable" game.

Whatever does this mean? Marnanel 13:19, 24 October 2006 (UTC)

I agree, this sentence doesn't make a lot of sense. The best I can figure from the context of following commentary on the game being banned in some schools is that the statement is trying to say no one could ever completely prevent kids from playing tag. This seems like it is obvious enough that it doesn't merit inclusion, however, and should probably be removed or at least restated. I'll remove it unless someone objects. norm77 17:56, 15 November 2006 (UTC)

Strategy
Can anyone justify the strategy depth of "high" in the information box? What possible strategies could there be, apart from "Don't get caught" or "Target the slow people"? "Strategy" is only mentioned once again in the article, and only in an informal sense. 134.58.253.113 09:41, 21 November 2006 (UTC)
 * Sure I can justify anything, here goes...you try to stay as far away as the person who is it, randomise your paths, when being pursued you run towards other people and try to get them being chased instead of you, do not run when you don't need to (save energy),, target the slow people when it, be sneaky and not make much noise, catch people as they're walking around corners, chase people away into the path of the person who is actually it and I ran out of ideas. --WikiSlasher 06:56, 25 November 2006 (UTC)
 * And this, ladies and gentlemen, is what is called original research.
 * Tag doesn't have any strategies, you just try to tag the one nearest to you, and if he is too fast for you, you either change your target to the next person nearer to you or you persist and keep trying to tag him. Well, in freeze tag (the only variant that I played by the way), there would be more room for strategies, as most of those games have more than one 'it's unless the number of players is really small. In other words, if there is only one 'it', there is no so-called strategy. —The preceding unsigned comment was added by 220.255.16.189 (talk) 08:12, 16 February 2007 (UTC).

I'm tempted to blank this article to a stub if it doesn't get some sources soon. There's way too much here that people just pulled off the top of their heads. Night Gyr (talk/Oy) 02:49, 2 January 2007 (UTC)

Phone/Telephone Tag
You have both phone and telephone tag listed. I don't know which one people want to keep, but I personally thing the 'telephone tag' listing is better.

Article Size
I attempted to track down some references, although this ideally should be split into smaller named articles referencing the specific games and variations of such games. For example, the Freeze Tag page currently is a redirect page; it could be turned into an actual article, and this page could link to it in some way without having an entire section unto itself. Suvian 19:49, 16 March 2007 (UTC)


 * I say that the number of varients by cut down by half if not a third. We can't list every variation of tag that's every been thought up on the playground.  Technically, only variants that can be referenced with a source should be kept. --In Defense of the Artist 16:40, 20 March 2007 (UTC)

IT
What does that term even mean? I always told people that I'm not an "it"74.195.5.83 00:24, 17 March 2007 (UTC)
 * "It" means you are the one who has to tag the other people. Are you kidding me?  Zweifel 20:35, 20 March 2007 (UTC)
 * I'd love to know the route of that expression. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 173.32.81.199 (talk) 03:57, 10 March 2009 (UTC)
 * If you want to expand it you could say "Ok, the game is about running away from a designated person... you are him or her" but "him or her" is wordy... so, "you are it". That was my childhood logic on the matter, no idea if there is a more in depth explanation. Mostly, I can't think of an easier way to run the game, so I am inclined to think it's a pragmatic / functional thing. 152.91.9.219 (talk) 04:19, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

Thorn Tag
I've never heard of this one being mentioned anywhere else before, but I've included it because it seems to be entirely missing. DeepSkyFrontier 21:10, 9 April 2007 (UTC)

Ball Tag
I've played a game with my friends that we call "Ball Tag", where we have to hit each other in the testicles. I don't think this deserves it's own section, so I'm not sure if I should add it or not. It has basically the same rules as the normal Tag game at the top of the article. Jesse 06:56, 28 June 2007 (UTC)

Roundup/Manhunt/Maniac
Roundup, Maniac, and Manhunt sound like the exact same game. I'd say that Manhunt is the most popular name for the game. Im.a.lumberjack 02:33, 4 July 2007 (UTC)

Tag World Champion
Rahbi won the 2007 Arizona Tag competition and now holds the title of World Champion —Preceding unsigned comment added by Cba team1 (talk • contribs) 18:44, 6 November 2007 (UTC)

Cops and Robbers Redirect
Why would Cops and Robbers redirect to Tag? Not only is it not a variant but even if it was it's never mentioned as a variant in this article. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 71.238.12.6 (talk) 08:27, 21 December 2007 (UTC)

When I played "it" as a child in London in the seventies, the word we used to claim immunity while crossing our fingers was "fainites". Years later, in a book on English dialects whose title I can't recall, I saw an isogloss map of similar terms used elsewhere in the UK. I remember seeing a variant "fains", as well as various words such as "crosses" and "cruces". Perhaps someone could track down this research.

As a start, a Google search of this word turns up the following:

http://www.worldwidewords.org/qa/qa-fai1.htm

http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Fainites

The article seems to want to unify all the variations in the rules and terminology of tag in a single account. This is a hopeless task - there are obviously dozens of regional variants, each with its own language and rules, and each played in ignorance of other variants (I personally have never heard of tig-off or most of the other rules and phrases cited). I think the text would be more informative, and more easily organised and maintained, if it gave an introduction explaining the basic principle of tag, and then let users contribute specific accounts of the rules and terminology of the game as played in different locations. As it stands, it reads like a mish-mash of different versions of the game with no information about where each is played.

Desperatedad (talk) 03:23, 1 January 2008 (UTC)

List
Could someone re add the list of variants? -- Al™ 23:06, 11 February 2008 (UTC)


 * I think that is a better idea to create an entry "list of tag variants". What do you think?--194.65.151.249 (talk) 13:56, 19 May 2008 (UTC)

Naming
Isn't this game known as "add" over here on the UK? 86.151.108.81 (talk) 07:00, 19 April 2008 (UTC)

"Tag, you're it"
Can anyone explain the meaning of this expression (as in "being the Tag", perhaps), and should we add this kind of expressions (things you say when you catch someone and so on) to the article? —Preceding unsigned comment added by 83.132.68.169 (talk) 16:18, 23 May 2008 (UTC)

Zombie & Maniac too similar
The 2nd zombie-tag variant is described the same as maniac-tag. Perhaps they ought to merge? Saying Zombie tag was played in Montana & Jersey is the 80's is weird... why name a couple places? It was played all over under a variety of names - it was all-around-the-school-tag when I was a kid.Kea2 (talk) 06:53, 18 June 2008 (UTC)

Onigokko redirection?
I came to this article looking for information on "onigokko" and only found one reference to the word on the entire page. Right at the top where it said "redirected from Onigokko". Is it too much to ask that when something is redirected that the article at least make mention of it? Normally it's not so bad, but this article is about a godzillion different and often unrelated childrens games. My confusion is that I've seen two references in the past month to "onigokko" that seems to imply running around either aimlessly or in circles. Neither of those impressions seem to fit a "game of tag", for neither is the running around in "tag" aimless, nor is it always in circles. Running around in circles can be a tactic in Tag, but it's never the point to it. Please, someone, explain in the article what onigokko is. I'm confused as heck about it. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 24.254.163.150 (talk) 20:22, 16 July 2008 (UTC)

Sticky Toffee
This is the most enjoyable form of tag! It's the one where the tagger holds hands with whoever they tag, and you end up with long chains of taggers! --79.65.23.145 (talk) 18:49, 21 October 2008 (UTC)


 * From that description I think I knew it as octopus chasey, and it was very silly and fun! 152.91.9.219 (talk) 04:21, 1 April 2009 (UTC)

Dodgeball!?
Just wondering, how on earth is dodgeball a variant of tag?!? -- Drahcir  my talk  21:28, 7 January 2009 (UTC)

Immunity
I knew it as "balis" or "barleys", anyone know more about this or the origin of it? 152.91.9.219 (talk) 04:25, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
 * I think it is spelled "barleese", but I don't know where the concept came from. Metao (talk) 05:00, 1 April 2009 (UTC)
 * Hmm, I had someone tell me recently that it was a corruption of "parley" as in calling a truce for negotiations. That makes semantic sense, but I can't find a reference to it, and it could be nonsense. 152.91.9.219 (talk) 05:01, 21 April 2009 (UTC)

German Game: "Who's Afraid of The Black Man"
I came to the Tag Wikipedia page to learn more about this game,but don't see it mentioned. I first read about it here: http://www.antiracistparent.com/2008/07/14/ask-arp-is-it-wrong-to-sing-this-childrens-rhyme/. The American parent living in Germany wrote to that online anti-racist forum asking about that was being taught & played in her son's school. sThe teacher told the concerned mother that the game was about a chimney sweep and not a Black man. The woman wrote asking what she should say to the teacher. No one answered her query to date (though I might do so especially if folks here help with more info about this game as played in the past and now).

As an African American have concerns about even if it really was/is about chimney sweeps.

I found another online mention of that game here: http://watchingamerica.com/News/17920/white-southerners-still-don%E2%80%99t-trust-obama/ about attitudes among some White Americans in the South about Obama winning the Presidential election Die Welt, Germany "White Southerners Still Don’t Trust Obama"By Katja Ridderbusch' Translated By Ron Argentati' 19 January 2009

See this note at the end of the article (made because the reporter said that the interviewer still "was afraid of black men": ..."the German children’s game “Wer hat Angst vor dem schwarzen Mann,” or, “Who’s afraid of the black man” is similar to the American kid’s game “tag” where the object is to avoid being touched by the “monster.” Misunderstood political correctness has also reached this facet of German culture and the adjective “black” is now increasingly being replaced by “wild,” or “evil” although the original game had nothing to do with race.”

-snip-

I then found a mention of "Whose afraid of black man" in this google book:

“Death bringing the plague (or should one say, the plague bringing death?) survives in the game of German and Swiss children "Who's afraid of the black man?" (Wer hat Angst vorm schwarzen Mann?) pg 14 The gender of death: a cultural history in art and literature - by Karl Siegfried Guthke” – 1999 http://books.google.com/books?id=ml36rowcpTUC&pg=PA14&lpg=PA14&dq=german+children's+game+%22who's+afraid+of+the+black+man%22&source=bl&ots=siz2k3aDMo&sig=VVZ2xR7m42m2aKCIgjunPAv5y8E&hl=en&ei=oxerSpSfNo3DlAeWj8jABg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2#v=onepage&q=&f=false

-snip-

A reader's review of this book also mentions that game by the "Who's afraid of the black man" name:

Ancient and Modern Britons: Volume One (Ancient & Modern Britons) by David Mac Ritchie (Paperback - March 15, 1991) http://www.amazon.com/Ancient-Modern-Britons-One/product-reviews/0939222108/ref=dp_top_cm_cr_acr_txt?ie=UTF8&showViewpoints=1 -snip-

Finally, I found a reference to the game "Who's afraid of the black man" this er google book: Twentieth-century theatre: a sourcebook By Richard Drain http://books.google.com/books?id=WMwk3Wrn-14C&pg=PA186&lpg=PA186&dq=german+children's+game+%22who's+afraid+of+the+black+man%22&source=bl&ots=NH5EU7i_wm&sig=Ov7zLbo0wY2Sb5MXpD-n2zi-VYU&hl=en&ei=0hirSqm_KtHZlAfD5vnoBg&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=5#v=onepage&q=&f=false described as a “ridiculous party game” [for adults] p.186 To say: “should I go to the theatre today?”isn’t the same thing as: “I’ve got to go to the theatre today. With an obligation to go to the theatre like that, the citizen concerned gives up of  his free wil all those other stupid evening pastimes, like skittles, cards, pub politics, romantic rendezvous, not forgetting ridiculous party games that just waste your time like “Who’s afraid of the black man?”, “Tailor lend me your wife”, and so on.”

-snip-

I'd love to know more. The teacher's comments about the "Black man" [originally?]prreferring to chimney sweeps" is probably not correct, since chimney sweeps (who, because of their profession) were blackened by soot were thought to be good luck, particularly seeing them at the first of the new year, but maybe at other times.I've read that this is because in some European cultures chimney sweeps also carried baskets of shamrocks at certain times...Anyway, that superstition about it being good luck to see a chimney sweep at the first of the new year morphed into the belief that a dark haired man entering your door the first of the new year meant good luck etc. My point is that the chimney sweep origin doesn't wash with me (if you'll excuse that expression). I think the "black man" reference was probably a demon or a monster or the devil. But I have no sources for this. Again, I hope that someone adds more information to this. And maybe one way of doing so is to mention the game and hopefully some German people or other people will add what they remember or know about it now-since it appears that it is still being played-but hopefully with a name change.This is my first time writing Wikipedia. I don't know if I'm doing it right. If not. my apologies. folklorist8 9/23/2009Folklorist8 (talk) 05:44, 12 September 2009 (UTC)

Sorry for that wrong date. I should have had my glasses on. Folklorist8 (talk) 05:48, 12 September 2009 (UTC)


 * I posted a lot of references to the devil being the color black on this discussion thread thread.cfm?threadid=123578&messages=19 Folklore: The Devil The Color Black. My position now is that the German game of tag called "Who's Afraid of the Black man" has its origins in the belief that the devil was the color black. That belief could have then morphed (I started to write "evole" but evolution is usually thought to be progress) into a fear and ridicule/insults and other targeting of dark[er] skinned people such as "Gypsies".


 * Also, there's a wealth of information about versions of the game of tag (as played in various states in the US, and various communities in Britain, Canada, and Scotland) on this Mudcat Discussion Forum thread: thread.cfm?threadid=103866&messages=70 Folklore: Tag". This international forum includes mention of a number of the variant forms of this game that are already mentioned in the Wikipedia article. And there are other variants that aren't mentioned in this article, plus etymologies of words used in various forms of this game. Folklorist8 (talk) 15:52, 12 September 2009 (UTC)
 * Hi Folklorist8 and others, hello from Germany. I also played tag extensively when i was a kid and we also played "Wer hat Angst vorm Schwarzen Mann?" As you heard, some think it is derived from the chimney sweepers, but I also had my doubts. We had a great history teacher in our school, who claimed that the Black Man actually means Death. "Black" has a long history of association with death and peril and it seems pretty rational to me to make that connection. Indeed it has nothing to do with race. I didn't even think of such a connotation until I read an article about political correctness in children's games.
 * I may add that in southern Germany "tag" is called "Fangerles". We also played a game called "Ochs am Berg" ("ox on the hill") where one played the ox, facing away from the others. The others had to conquer the hill by running there. Whenever the ox turns around, the others are not allowed to move anymore. If the ox encounters one person moving, he points at that one and he is out (or reset to the start). The game ends when one reaches the hill where the ox stands. --Franz Berwein (talk) 16:49, 19 February 2010 (UTC)
 * Ochs am Berg is known as Red light/Green light or "Grandmother's Footsteps". Fences  &amp;  Windows  20:24, 20 February 2010 (UTC)

Add
It seems strange to me that the name isn’t referred to as add in the introduction, as in the UK this seems to be the predominant name for this game. Googling this for a reference, however, was extremely difficult. Maxí (talk) 14:39, 23 October 2009 (UTC)


 * Really? I've never heard it used, but I'll have a look. Fences  &amp;  Windows  03:30, 24 October 2009 (UTC)


 * I knew it as "It" myself when I played it in London, I haven't heard "add" myself. That's not to say it doesn't exist though, these games have huge naming variations. 84.92.117.93 (talk) 23:11, 9 January 2010 (UTC)

tag
tag-a game played by 2 or more players tag-t turn around a ? a answer the ? g give proof used in a class called S.F.A. S succses F for A all a class made to help young childern read,and how to use stratergy(s)and this method is used in the E.P.E.S. school and they're taking it to 6th grade. —Preceding unsigned comment added by 99.68.122.172 (talk) 20:36, 26 March 2010 (UTC)

Local names
It.wiki has a section about the names the tag has in different countries, including (of course) non-english countries. I think that's an interesting matter, and am surprised that en.wiki has no similar section. Also local terminologies are interesting; for example, while in english "it" is the player running after the others, in italian that player "has it" (rather than "being it"). In spanish, seemingly, the player who's running after the others "carries it", etc.; and in Japan, "it" is the Oni, a demon from Japanese folklore. I think this subject is quite underdeveloped here, and it doesn't look less suitable for an encyclopedia than a list of rule variants. Moongateclimber (talk) 14:17, 24 December 2010 (UTC)

Text contradicts Animation of the Duck game
I like the animation, it helps to visualize the game, but it does not agree with the text, where it is stated that "The goose then rises, runs around the circle in the opposite direction" (which makes more sense). AmirOnWiki (talk) 16:45, 24 August 2011 (UTC)
 * That's right. To my understanding, the text on this page is wrong. Cf. the explanation of the game on the main Page Duck, duck, goose, which is in accordance with the animation. I suggest copying the text from that main Page. Rüdiger Kupper (talk) 12:22, 7 April 2012 (UTC)

Electric Tag
Have you guys see Electric Tag before? — Preceding unsigned comment added by 58.252.6.30 (talk) 07:48, 28 June 2012 (UTC)

Unsourced variants
I just removed all of the unsourced variants. This article is a magnet for original research with people adding whatever variants they played in their youth regardless of the overall significance or notability. I did not check the sources for the variants that have them but I suspect some of them might not be of high quality either. SQGibbon (talk) 17:01, 8 December 2012 (UTC)


 * You removed the "Line tag" section, but not the "Fox and geese" section, which was under "Line tag." If "Fox and geese" has a reference, doesn't that mean Line tag is technically okay? Just asking. By the way, "Fox and geese" states it's a type of Line tag. Also, "Fox and geese" now looks like it is under the "Laser tag" section. WiHkibew (talk) 04:49, 10 December 2012 (UTC)


 * I fixed the formatting. I looked at the source supplied for "Fox and geese" and was unable to find a description for the rules. This doesn't mean it's not there but just I was unable to find it. This is a potentially problematic inclusion then. I did not search that same source for "Line tag". If you can find significant mentions of these games then by all means feel free to add them to the article. I have not gone through and checked the sources for the other variants but as I mentioned above I suspect that at least some of them are not reliable sources or are not covered in a significant manner. SQGibbon (talk) 23:51, 11 December 2012 (UTC)

Unsourced Variants That SQGibbon Removed (Please Improve)
I got lazy for putting the sections and dots, but they are in order. Please get sources for them if possible. WiHkibew (talk) 04:39, 10 December 2012 (UTC)

Build Ups
Build Ups (also known as Hide-and-seek Tips, Zombie tag, Army tag, Pandemic tag, Virus, Spider, Gang up, Minion tag, Manhunt and Wildfire) is a variant where players do not lose their "it" status when they tag another player. "it" players work together to tag players. The last person tagged wins. The winner and the player who started as "it" may not be chosen as the starting "it" for the next game. In other variations, the last person tagged becomes "It" in the next game. This game is extremely popular on the Outer Banks and is called Infection.

Busted
A variation on tag that must be played on a playground where the players can only stay on the equipment and can not touch the ground. If a "runner" is caught on the ground, the tagger can yell "busted" and that person goes back to where they last touched some equipment and becomes "it." If the person who is "it" touches the ground a "runner" can yell "busted" and the person who is it must return to where they touched equipment last and the tagger may have to tag two people instead of one to make another player "it" depending on the variation.

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British bulldogs
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Sharks and Minnows is a water-bound variation of this game, although it has been known to be played on dry-land in the Seattle area.

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Langdi taang
In Langdi taang (Hindi for "lame"), which is mostly played in Indian villages, the chaser catches players on one leg only. The person who is caught then becomes the next chaser.

Line Tiggy
A variation of tag that is commonly played on the lines/markings of basketball courts. In this variation of tag, the basic rules apply, but all players are only allowed to walk on the lines of the basketball court. If a "runner" walks off the lines, the "runner" becomes "it," and the person who was "it" can become a "runner" again.

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Band-Aid tag
When a player is tagged, he doesn't become it. Instead, he must hold one of his hands in the place where he was tagged on his body and continue playing. The second time a person is tagged, he must hold his other hand where he was tagged for the second time, while still holding his hand in the first place he was tagged. The third time he is tagged, he becomes "it." Some people refer to this type of tag as "freeze tag", even though there is no actual "freezing" involved.

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Ghost in the Graveyard
A variation of hide and go seek/tag that is only played at night. You start the game by picking how many people, usually 1 seeker for 6 people, you want to be "it", the boundaries and where base will be. You can hide anywhere within the boundaries. Everyone who is "it" must stay at base and count to 100. Everyone else runs and hides. The round is over when everyone gets to base, or you catch as many people as there are "it". If you have multiple seekers and not everyone tags someone, you still swap places.

Tunnel tag
Played in an area with a wall along one side. Those who are caught must stand with one arm outstretched, touching the wall. Someone who has not yet been caught can release them by running under the "tunnel" formed by the outstretched arms. The game ends when everyone has been caught.

Elevator tag
Elevator tag occurs in a building that has elevators. One person is declared to be it and the other players ride the elevators away from the lobby. The "It" player then rides the elevators to whichever floor he/she prefers. If they arrive and one of the non "it" players is in that elevator lobby, then that player is "it". If multiple people are in the same lobby, then the "it" player must declare the which person is now "it" or tag someone. If no one is in the lobby that the "it" player went to, then they go to another floor and start the process over again. The non "it" players are not allowed to leave the elevator lobby of the floor that they are on and have to wait for another elevator to arrive before going to another floor. They are allowed to hit the elevator button (up or down) to have an elevator arrive. This game is best played in a smaller building with no more than 4 elevators and no more than 10 stories as it would be very hard for the "it" person to tag someone if there are a large number of floors or elevators to escape from detection. Due to the loss of sight by all the players in this game, typically, there is a time limit on the game so that everyone can arrive at one place at a particular time to either leave or start a new game.

A common strategy to avoid detection in buildings that have monitors above the elevator showing where the elevator is located is to hit multiple buttons and get off on one of the floors. That way, the "it" person won't know which floor to go to and it would take time for an elevator to arrive. However, this can be bad for the non "it" player(s) because an elevator might not come in time to escape the tag as the old elevator is still stopping at the floors in which the buttons were pressed prior to them getting off.

Since a lot of this game only has 2 people at a time interacting, trust is needed by all the participants. If they are told they are "it" then they are "it". If there is no trust, then multiple people would eventually become "it" if someone wanted to not abide by the rules.

An element of this game that draws people to play it is the danger associated with using the elevators in a public building - whether a residential building or a commercial building. The tenants typically don't like the elevators going up and down when they may want to use it and an office building does not want their elevators hard to use. Elevator tag is typically done in office buildings on the weekends as there is less traffic. Most players have a plan on how to enter the building and avoid detection in the main lobby. Sometimes, instead of the main lobby being the starting point, it is another floor where security is not a big presence. Children of workers in the building can get into the building without raising suspicion if they are accompanying their parent(s). Their parents on the other hand, might not be too pleased to discover what their children are doing.

Ball tag
Ball tag is a variation of tag and dodgeball. It is generally played with a tennis ball, larger balls such as a dodgeball or soccer ball can be used. The game is played with standard tag rules, except the person who is "it" uses a ball to tag other players. The ball may not be picked up off the ground by anyone other than the "it". Some variation have rules where if a person who is not "it" intentionally picks up the ball, they are "it" for two turns, unless they tag the person who was originally "it".

Sometimes, dodgeball rules are incorporated. One such rule is that if a person catches the ball thrown at them, the person who threw the ball is still "it". The catcher can then throw the ball anywhere on the course, making the "it"'s job more difficult. Another dodgeball rule is that if a ball that is bounced off a tagged person is caught by another player without the ball touching another object, the person who was tagged is "it". In Australia, ball chasey is often referred to as "brandings" or "brandy". The name originates from the variant where the game is played with a tennis ball that has been soaked in water. These leave a mark, or "brand", when hitting clothing.

Pickle
Pickle (sometimes referred to as Hot Box, particularly when using a baseball, also called Stolen Bases or Running Bases) is a form of tag that is played with a ball (generally something soft like a tennis ball) and two bases (usually trees). One player guards each base while the others run between them. Players are safe while touching a base; however, while running from one base to another, players are vulnerable to being tagged by balls thrown by the base guards. If a runner is hit by the ball, he replaces the guard who threw it, and that guard becomes a runner.

Spud
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One variation of Spud requires numbering the participants. "it" throws the ball in the air and calls out a number. The player whose number is called becomes it, and must catch the ball and shout "Spud" as above.

Alligator tag
Also known as Hot Lava Monster or Shark. A game of tag that takes place on a Jungle Gym, Monkey Bar or other large piece of playground equipment that is easily traversed. "it" cannot get on the equipment and tries to tag players on the climbing equipment while on the ground. It is so named as it acts like an alligator. Variations allow "it" to touch certain parts of the equipment, such as the supports for the structure.

Ghost in the Graveyard
This variation is best played at night in a shrubby area for maximum spookiness. One person is selected as a "ghost" and a home base is designated. The ghost hides while the rest of the players stay at home base, close their eyes and count to "midnight" ("one o' clock, two o'clock, three o'clock rock! Four o' clock, Five o'clock, Six o' clock rock!....) When the players get to "midnight," they leave home base and wander around the territory looking for the ghost. The ghost can jump out and try to tag a player whenever he or she thinks best! When a player sees the ghost, he or she shouts "Ghost in the Graveyard!" and all of the players try to run back to home base before being tagged by the ghost. If someone is tagged they become the new ghost, and if nobody is tagged the game starts again with the same ghost. This game is great for a large group, and it is scariest if all of the potential hiding places are a good distance from home base so that the players have to wander pretty far before finding the ghost!

Grounders
Played on large complicated playground sets, the point of this game is to never touch the ground. Normal rules apply while on the set, but if a non-it player touches the ground, "it" can shout "Grounders" to tag the person. The "it" person can touch the ground, and in some games may have to close their eyes. This is similar to the game Marco Polo played in a pool, however children should have previous experience on the play structure/know the layout of the structure to prevent injuries.

Line tag
Also known as Spider, likening the lines to a spider's web. Lines are marked on the ground, usually in chalk if outdoors or with masking tape indoors, and players must stay on the lines when moving. The lines may intersect in random ways. It can also be played in a gym using the pre-existing lines. Originally played on basketball courts only but it soon was played on other lined courts soon due to its versatile nature.

Shake
This is the Kenyan version of line tag and played in cells. One group starts at the top. The aim is to go through the cell without the other team catching you and go back to the beginning. There are people stationed at each cell. Their job is to take care of their cell not to let people through. There is one person in charge of the middle column and who goes up and down trying to catch as many people as possible. When caught the person is out of the game until one of his team mates manages to go through the cells and back without being caught.If this happens then the previous people who were out all join in and the game goes on.