traditional games

1. PE 208: MODULE 2
TRADTIONAL GAME
Traditional games are those games within a society that people have played for many years,
because participation gives them a chance to practice something that has meaning within their
society (Bressan, & Van Der Merwe, 1992). As a form of play, traditional games includes
participants, some sort of challenge or goal and rules although they are not as formal or
organized as sports. Today traditional game in Africa has survived in Nomadic, Hunters,
Gatherers and Pastoral societies least touched by European influence. Many of these games are
linked with work, religion, celebrations, family life, birth, coming of age and death. They are
central to cultural experience of a people (Cheska, 1987).
CHARACTERISTICS OF TRADITIONAL GAMES
As a game is structured playing, undertaken for enjoyment and educational purposes, it is
characterized by rules, challenge and interaction. With respect this structured play role of game,
the following are the characteristics of traditional game:
1.It is locally organized.
2.Have few rules. The rules are not
written and enforced.
3.Have few roles or positions for players.
4.Use simple skills.
5.Have participations restricted to either
boys or girls or men or women.
6.It lack of precise boundaries or special
facilities.
7.Use little or no equipment.
8.It is controlled by players rather than
by referee.
9.Give men (boys) the opportunity for
competition and self-testing, but give
women (girls) the opportunity to
practice cooperation.
10.Utilize the observation and imitation
methods of learning rather than any
kind of sophisticated teaching or
coaching.
1.Ndee 2003, Sport History: revisionism approach for game naga, rolling target and Mdako.
2. http://www.tingatingastudio.com/handicraft-african-games.html for mamba game
3. www.alibaba.com/Playground for game ngapi?
4. Bressan, E. S & Van Der Merwe, (1992). An historical sketch of the development of Games, Sport, Dance and Physical
Education in Sub-Saharan Africa. Research report for the Milwaukee Public School, Milwaukee, USA, Stellenbosc.
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2. ROLE OF TRADITIONAL GAMES
The major roles of participation in traditional are:
1.Physical development of the players.
2.Skills training and Skills maintenance for adult behavior. Traditional game play develops
physical and cognitive skills, social decorum and respect for others.
3.The enhancement of the community values about age and gender roles.
4.Create opportunities for interaction within a community and between communities.
5.Perpetuation of heritage and sense of origin. Traditional game offer continuity and
contextuality of ethnicity. Knowing these games helps in understanding of ones
symbolic, social and physical culture. Local communal affiliation patterns such as age-set
are reinforced as game participation helps strengthen long life affliation.
TYPES OF TRADITIONAL GAME
According Cheska(1978) the main categories of traditional games are Games of physical skill,
Games of strategy, Games of chance, Games of memory, Rhythm games, Simulation games and
verbal games. Each of these is described in the following sections:
1.Games of Physical Skill
The outcome is determined by physical and motor skills of the players e.g. endurance,
strength, coordination, agility etc. These games can be divided in four types:
i.Games that require only physical skills e.g. running a race.
ii.Games that combine physical skill with strategy e.g. wrestling.
iii.Games that combine physical skill with luck
iv.Games that combine physical skills with rhythm, e.g. clapping games.
2.Games of Strategy
The game is determined by the success achieved through the rational choices of the
players. Example of games of strategy includes military games such the defense of targets
against attack. This game allows the player to make use of their ingenuity in order to

3. influence the outcome. Many games of strategy are combined with physical skills;
however, there are two types:
i.Games where element of luck is absent
ii.Games of chance where the element of luck is a factor in the outcome.
3.Games of Chance
The outcome is determined by players luck (good or bad). These games combine luck
with physical skills and/or strategy. It is usually played for money or stakes, in which the
winner is determined by a chance event, as by drawing numbers or throwing dice. The
two types of these games are Guessing and gambling Game.
i.Guessing game
A guessing game is a game in which the object is to guess some kind of
information, such as a word, a phrase, a title, or the location of an object.
ii.Gambling games
The game played for stakes in the hope of winning including the payment of a
price for a chance to win a prize.
4.Games of Memory
The outcome is determined by player’s ability to remember. This challenge to memory is
usually found combined with verbal game, rhythm games and even physical skill games.
5.Rhythm Games
The outcome is determined by players’ musical skills combined with skills, e.g. chanting,
clapping hands or playing an instrument to provide the beat or cadence for performance.
6.Simulation Games
The outcome is determined by players’ ability to copy either one another or some other
person or thing. This type of game is an attempt to simulate the decisions and processes

4. inherent to some real-world situation. Most of the mechanics are chosen to reflect what
the real-world consequences would be of each player action and decision. There are three
different types of simulation:
i.Mimicry games, where players copy actions, sounds or appearance of people,
objects or animals from their environment.
ii.Imitation games, where players copy the skill performance of others, usually in an
effort to become skillful themselves.
iii.Dramatic play, where players act out situations and to try different ‘roles’.
7.Verbal Games
The outcome is determined by players’ ability to combine their memory with their use of
words. Verbal games are considered especially important means for practicing oral skills
in those societies where writing has yet to develop. Perceptive awareness, association and
logic are components of cognitive skills. These skills are extremely important. However,
verbal games combine memory and strategy skills.
DISTINCTIONs OF TRADITIONAL GAMES FROM MODERN SPORTS

5. Based on structures and function of traditional game and modern sports one can recognizes a
variations. These differences between traditional games and modern sports can be described in
terms of what characterizes a game as shown in the following table.
CharacteristicsTraditional games Modern sports
Organization Informal, local level Formal, institutionalized, local to
international level.
Rules Few, simple and oral Many, elaborate and written.
Skills Simple, common Complex and specialized.
Gender of playersGender specific games;
seldom played together.
Both gender play same sports, some
times together.
Procedures No precise boundaries,
duration, or number of
players.
Definite boundaries, time limits,
number of player.
Equipment Common, low or no cost,
made by players.
Specialized, High cost,
Manufactured.
Social control By players in the game Outside officials and bureaucracy.
Social interaction
model
For males: Self-testing. For
females: cooperative.
For both genders: competitive.
Learning processObservation and imitation.Formal instruction and coaching.
Outcome Process oriented meaning that
the activity itself is more
important than the end results.
Results oriented meaning that there
are clear cut winner and losers as
results of a play.
Table1: Difference between traditional game and modern sports

6. Based on structures and function of traditional game and modern sports one can recognizes a
variations. These differences between traditional games and modern sports can be described in
terms of what characterizes a game as shown in the following table.
CharacteristicsTraditional games Modern sports
Organization Informal, local level Formal, institutionalized, local to
international level.
Rules Few, simple and oral Many, elaborate and written.
Skills Simple, common Complex and specialized.
Gender of playersGender specific games;
seldom played together.
Both gender play same sports, some
times together.
Procedures No precise boundaries,
duration, or number of
players.
Definite boundaries, time limits,
number of player.
Equipment Common, low or no cost,
made by players.
Specialized, High cost,
Manufactured.
Social control By players in the game Outside officials and bureaucracy.
Social interaction
model
For males: Self-testing. For
females: cooperative.
For both genders: competitive.
Learning processObservation and imitation.Formal instruction and coaching.
Outcome Process oriented meaning that
the activity itself is more
important than the end results.
Results oriented meaning that there
are clear cut winner and losers as
results of a play.
Table1: Difference between traditional game and modern sports