Friday, January 03, 2003
Teenage Crowds, and the games therefor
I found this collection of Crowd Games for teen-agers creative, fun, stimulating, and, well, instructive.
What I like about these games is that they really seem like, well, fun, for fun. For example:
Cell Phone Pizza Challenge:
Find two local pizza places that deliver. During the beginning of the evening, divide the crowd in two and bring up a representative from each side. Hand each representative a cell phone and phone # of two competing pizza places. Have them each order a large pizza, tell the delivery person the situation, and that there's a $20 tip for the one that arrives first. Clearly announce to the crowd which pizza place is coming for each team.
As you are continuing your program, one side of the room will erupt into applause when a pizza driver comes in representing their side of the room. Interview the deliverer and give him the $20 tip in front of the crowd. (You can then have up front games lined up where winners get a piece of pizza.)
You can tell that this'd be fun to play. Engaging. Exciting. On the other hand, you can't help wonder about the other side of the room and how that particular crowd will receive the hapless deliverer of the second pizza.
Here's another example:
S[a]ran Wrap Body Pass:
Get 4 staff members from the crowd (as many staff as you have sections of the crowd- divided by isles) Have each staff member stand in front of a given section of crowd that can cheer for their staff member. Have each staff member grab about 3 or 4 kids to “wrap them.” Hand each group 3 or 4 rolls of Saran Wrap, tell them to mummy them and yell “Go!” (I tell the staff to put their hands in the air so they have them free for later!)
When they are wrapped up- ask the crowd what the best way to judge who is wrapped the best- then announce that you have an idea. “Pick them up and pass them to the back of the crowd and back up front again. First section to do that wins!”
Which makes you smile at the thought of the funny saran-wrapped mummy. And, at the same time, makes you wonder about what it feels like when people are racing to pass your pretty much helplessly wrapped body, and how careful or supportive or sensitive to your needs they are actually trying to be.
I'm sure there are kinder, gentler games, just as engaging and delightful, but also, more universally, shall we say, "compassionate?"- the very kind of kind games to which I've devoted perhaps thirty-two years to propagating. On the other hand, taking a more anthropological view, I'm also sure that these "teenage crowd" games represent the living presence of fun for their makers and players. Considering that these particular games come from a site called The Source for Youth Ministry, we take it as further evidence that teenagers can be a tough crowd.
What I like about these games is that they really seem like, well, fun, for fun. For example:
Cell Phone Pizza Challenge:
Find two local pizza places that deliver. During the beginning of the evening, divide the crowd in two and bring up a representative from each side. Hand each representative a cell phone and phone # of two competing pizza places. Have them each order a large pizza, tell the delivery person the situation, and that there's a $20 tip for the one that arrives first. Clearly announce to the crowd which pizza place is coming for each team.
As you are continuing your program, one side of the room will erupt into applause when a pizza driver comes in representing their side of the room. Interview the deliverer and give him the $20 tip in front of the crowd. (You can then have up front games lined up where winners get a piece of pizza.)
You can tell that this'd be fun to play. Engaging. Exciting. On the other hand, you can't help wonder about the other side of the room and how that particular crowd will receive the hapless deliverer of the second pizza.
Here's another example:
S[a]ran Wrap Body Pass:
Get 4 staff members from the crowd (as many staff as you have sections of the crowd- divided by isles) Have each staff member stand in front of a given section of crowd that can cheer for their staff member. Have each staff member grab about 3 or 4 kids to “wrap them.” Hand each group 3 or 4 rolls of Saran Wrap, tell them to mummy them and yell “Go!” (I tell the staff to put their hands in the air so they have them free for later!)
When they are wrapped up- ask the crowd what the best way to judge who is wrapped the best- then announce that you have an idea. “Pick them up and pass them to the back of the crowd and back up front again. First section to do that wins!”
Which makes you smile at the thought of the funny saran-wrapped mummy. And, at the same time, makes you wonder about what it feels like when people are racing to pass your pretty much helplessly wrapped body, and how careful or supportive or sensitive to your needs they are actually trying to be.
I'm sure there are kinder, gentler games, just as engaging and delightful, but also, more universally, shall we say, "compassionate?"- the very kind of kind games to which I've devoted perhaps thirty-two years to propagating. On the other hand, taking a more anthropological view, I'm also sure that these "teenage crowd" games represent the living presence of fun for their makers and players. Considering that these particular games come from a site called The Source for Youth Ministry, we take it as further evidence that teenagers can be a tough crowd.
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