THREE COMPUTER GAMES FOR THE CHILDRENS OF 8-11 AGE

"Three computer-games aficionados, aged 8-11, to toy around with some interesting and age-old games of yore — traditional games at its best!"

It seemed like a mission impossible! Three kids, Yanni Uthappa (12), Syed Salman (11) and Merlyn Paulose (11), are like any other children of 2010 — they “love” computer games. It is an integral part of their young lives. They are not acquainted with traditional Indian toys. They’ve never used or played with one. Bangalore Mirror decided to bring the two together!
The children were let lose in Kavade -Toy Hive, a haven for traditional toys. They almost did a double take when they entered the toy hive. “This is nothing like I imagined,” said Merlyn as she browsed through the toys, picking up a kaleidoscope that changed patterns and tried a cane yo-yo filled with small pebbles and sand. The boys quickly got into the groove by picking up toys randomly. As they tried playing with the toys by themselves, Sriranjini of Kavde, stepped in, “Most of the toys require at least two players. This encourages interaction.”
The kids were asked to play a few games, some solitary and some with the others and then rate the toys on a scale from 1 to 10. Here’s their verdict:

MERLYN PAULOSE

Ordinarily, a Saturday morning sees her playing Farmville on Facebook.
She spends about an hour and a half, “if there isn’t much homework”, playing games on the computer on weekdays. Out here, she picked up three games that she could play on her own. “With these games, I needn’t bother to find someone who will be willing to play it with me,” she said.

Cup and Ball: She first thought it was a top! It turned out to be a wooden cone that is attached to a ball with a string. The trick is to land the ball into the cup. Merlyn enjoyed the simple game which she felt was so nice that she bought one for herself. Merlyn’s comments: “Nice and involves you completely.”

Rating: 9

Snake Cube Puzzle: She thought it was a Rubik cube at first glance. The ‘snake’ like string of blocks has to be arranged as a cube requiring analytical skills. Merlyn tried to make the cube but didn’t really complete it as she wandered off to the next game. Merlyn’s comments: “Quite
confusing.”

Rating: 8

Tower of Brahma: This looked slightly familiar to Merlyn who had seen it “somewhere”. An analytical puzzle that needs some strategy in relocating the tower of Brahma to another rack with some riders that adds to the complexity. Merlyn loved it. Merlyn’s comments: “Very interesting.” Rating: 10
Kaleidoscope: A rattle? But it turned out to be an “interesting” kaleidoscope. She kept it besides her and looked through it whenever she felt like. Merlyn’s comments: “Too good!”
Rating: 7
Merlyn’s Verdict: “I would definitely like to play with traditional toys because one gets bored with computer games easily.”

YANNI UTHAPPA
Yanni plays about “an hour plus” on his PS2 on weekdays. Weekends fly by with more hours on games as well as homework. His favourites include Medal of Honour and Vanguard although he said, “You can get bored playing these games all the time.”
Navagraha or Knight’s Tour: A game for one, this is a 12 X12 square divided into the navagrahas across which the knight has to move. “This game was designed by Mummudi Krishnaraj Wodeyar (1799-1868) who designed several games and puzzles that are displayed in the Mysore Palace. Navagraha is complicated for kids so I have tried to make it simpler,” explained Sriranjini.
On first sight, Yanni thought it to be “something complicated” that he had never seen before. He used strategy and logic to crack the moves and helped the knight on his tour.
Yanni’s comments: “Quite different.”

Rating: 8

Tiger and Goat or Adu Huli Atta: This game, according to Sriranjini, is called different names across continents. Fox and Geese in Europe and in Africa, “it is called Lion and Gazelle” piped in Salman, who had watched a programme on television. The game has a circular board with colourful pawns. Requiring two people, the game was played by Yanni and Salman. Although Yanni initially thought that the game was a collection of “something”, he won and that explained the rating! Yanni’s comments: “Every time I play with a new opponent, the game feels fresh to me.”

Rating: 9

Puzzle: Intricate interlocking puzzles procured from an old man in Halebid-Belur. Yanni felt they were some odd looking keys at first. However, he took just a few minutes to separate the pieces as he is very good with puzzles. Yanni’s comments: “Very good and I can use it to puzzle my friends.”

Rating: 10

Navakankari/Dahdi/Nine Men Morris:

Again, Yanni first looked at it and thought it to be a “complicated game”. Like Noughts and Crosses but with more complexity, this game for two was interesting enough for him to comment, “It is fun to play!” Yanni’s comments: “Nice way to spend time.”

Rating: 8

Yanni’s Verdict: “I like these games. They are so different. They offer different experiences, every time. Unlike the computer games.”
SYED SALMAN
He smiled apprehensively when he saw the array of toys. He spotted a top (buguri) and spun it on the floor effortlessly. An avid player of God of War and Prince of Persia on PS2, he sat down to play some games that he had “only seen in a television programme”.
Allagullimane/Pallanguzhi/Mancala:
Salman first thought that it was “something to collect seeds and stuff”. He was so fascinated by the concept of dropping cowrie shells (kavade) into the deep cups (7 cups each of the 2 rows) that he didn’t want to leave the game at all.
Syed’s comments: “Very
engrossing and it is
fun to put shells into the cups.”

Rating: 10

Hex Game: A strategy game invented by Danish Mathematician Piet Hein, this is played with glass pebbles or stones as pawns. “Interesting to know the concept behind this game,” declared Salman. Syed’s comments: “Confusing in the
beginning but once understood it is very interesting.”
Rating: 8

Chowkabara: A traditional game that inspired Saint Thyagaraja to compose a song describing Lord Rama’s joy on winning the game against Sita, it captured the interest of the children for a while. Comments: “Very nice and interesting.”

Rating: 9

Syed Salman’s Verdict: “I think now I’d prefer to play traditional games than computer games as they get boring after a while.”

KAVADE -TOY HIVE

SRIRANJINI FELT the need for a store that stocks traditional toys which were slowly exiting from a world filled with glossy toys and virtual fun. “When I tried to buy traditional toys for my kids, I realised that there weren’t many choices,” she said. She started Kavade in 2008. “I have sourced work to artisans from Sarangpur (UP), Channapatna, Chennai, Kanyakumari and even from outskirts of Bangalore. Whenever I needed, I have met the appropriate artists. It is almost like fate makes me meet these artists,” said Sriranjini.
With this collection of toys, she wants to bring together artworks, games and mythology. Thus, most games are adorned with folk arts like kalamkari, hand embroidery, weaving and carvings. Mythology is introduced with card games that are endearingly called Battle of Lanka, Vanavaas and so on. Wooden daalas (dices), gilli dandas, glove puppets and colourful kites at this toy hive are nothing but bioscopes showing an unhurried bygone world.

LEARNING AIDS

TRADITIONAL TOYS have been around since ages. From Pagade/Chaupad that changed the course of Mahabharatato the fun-filled lagori/pittoo, the toys cover everything. Strategy, logic, hand-eye co-ordination, concentration, counting skills, morality and mythology are cleverly incorporated. As Sriranjini clarified, most of the games involve multiple players thereby encouraging social interaction.
Some games like the Allagullimane were played in specific periods (harvesting time when seeds were plenty) and encouraged giving to others as well. And before new age toys took over with ‘old wine in new bottle’ ideas, these toys were already child-friendly and eco-friendly. Immensely interesting and extremely lively, the fun multiplied when played in large numbers. All were involved — friends, family and even the bystanders. Pity then, that these toys seem to have missed a turn