September 5, 2004
RPS:
Rock, Paper, Scissors: High Drama in the Tournament Ring (JENNIFER 8. LEE, 9/05/04, NY Times)
The rules were deceptively simple — rules that people all over the world grasp as young children.Paper covers rock. Rock crushes scissors. Scissors cut paper.
But like the game Othello, another childhood favorite, Rock Paper Scissors takes a minute to learn and a lifetime to master.
Rock Paper Scissors has gained a cult following in much of the English-speaking world over the last few years. The World Rock Paper Scissors Society, based in Toronto, says that its history dates to London in the mid-1800's and that its membership has grown to 2,300 from 5 since its Web site, www.worldrps.com, first appeared in 1995.
Word of mouth generated by the Web site, and by the world championships that the society has sponsored since 2002, have led to a spread of formal and impromptu tournaments in bars, fraternity houses, homes and high schools. A bar in Chapel Hill, N.C., for example, held a tournament on Aug. 15 that drew 40 competitors. A tournament held for the past two years at the Roshambo Winery in Healdsburg, Calif., has attracted hundreds of spectators and competitors.
It's the perfect drinking game because everyone knows how to play, you always have the equipment with you and it doesn't matter how loud it is wherever you're playing. Posted by Orrin Judd at September 5, 2004 12:14 AM
They had an article about this in the Washington Post (I think) the other day. One person at the bar where there was a tournament was wearing a t-shirt that said, "Paper Is The New Rock," which I found highly amusing.
Posted by: John W. at September 5, 2004 1:36 AMWhen we went to Korea two years ago all the kids wanted to play was rock paper scissors.
Posted by: pj at September 5, 2004 8:50 AMI saw a T-shirt: "ROCK IS DEAD Long live Paper and Scissors"
Idiotic. It's easily demonstrated that the best strategy (assuming intellegent opposition) is to choose randomly; it's only a bit interesting because people are so bad at making 'random' choices.
Posted by: mike earl at September 5, 2004 11:30 AMIn Japan, it's called jun-ken-po. At the Tsukiji fish auction (world's biggest), that's how they divide the fish when there's a tie in the bid.
I dunno how many in the Toronto group would be ready to play for a stake of, say, $50,000
Posted by: Harry Eagar at September 5, 2004 5:26 PM