Folk Games and the Focus on the Idea of Play

Sicart's idea of play does not have to be complicated. It just has to be an escape from reality and fun. The inclusion of strategy is a very common genre, so to speak, that takes out some of the "silliness" of play, and requires a bit more thought and focus for the participants. That is not to say that silliness is bad in play, but it is definitely not for everyone. Some people like games that are challenging for them and make them think.

There have been many games that I can recall from my childhood to give me the inspiration to make my own folk game. One specific example that comes to mind is the game hide-and-seek. This game is a staple of almost everyone's childhood. The idea of finding the perfect place to hide, and then watching in nervous silence as the seeker walks right past your hiding spot, completely unaware of your presence. But what if we put a bit of a spin on it? What if there was a goal for the hider that required them to move around the area? That would require an additional effort of sneaking and strategy.  For example,  given a certain space, there can be a certain number of objects hidden around the area that the hider must go and find before they can reach a base and win the game. This requires them to not stay in one spot and they must also have a keen eye for finding loot. The seeker's task is relatively the same. Their objective is to look for the hiders. If they find a hider, and the hider has more than one object, they must take away and re-hide one of the objects. This will set the hider back as then they must find the stolen object once again before they can return to the base. However, if the hider is caught with one or no objects, then the hider is considered out of the game. So in order for the seeker to win, they must find all of the hiders with one or no objects and get them out. But if the hiders have all objects and all make it to the base, then they win. One way to keep things fair is to have someone be a "moderator" who hides the objects. Neither the seeker nor the hider ever knows where the initial hiding spots are of the objects. This prevents the seeker from camping out at object locations.