Tag is an informal sport or game that usually involves one or more players attempting to "tag" other players by touching them with their hands. The game is inherently simple -– most forms require neither teams, nor scores, nor sports equipment such as balls -- but it may be made more complex with various rule modifications. Both of these aspects make tag a popular game amongst children, and it is often played in informal areas such as playgrounds or back yards.
After "it" is chosen, the other players scatter. "It" must chase them down and tag them. A tagged player becomes "it", and the former "it" joins the others in trying to avoid being tagged. This process repeats.
In a typical game of tag, no score is kept, nor is a winner selected. Those who can avoid being tagged or who can stay "it" for the least amount of time are generally regarded as the best players. There is no time limit; the end of the game is chosen arbitrarily, perhaps when the players tire of the game or when recess ends.
An anomalous property of tag is that although being "it" gives a player the most influence upon the game and thus could be considered the best role to play, the position is stigmatized and avoided. There are exceptions, of course; in the variant known as Mafia, for example, it is almost invariantly considered best to be selected "it" (a member of the "Mafia"). While most agree that the temporary stigma associated with being "it" is harmless, some have criticized tag because, they allege, a player who is often pursued to be made "it" or who is physically slow can be singled out and embarrassed. Because of this, tag and dodgeball were banned from New Jersey schools on November 18, 2002.
Freeze tag varies from normal tag in that once a player is tagged, he does not become "it"; rather, he is "frozen" and must stand in place without moving while "it" continues to tag and "freeze" the other players. Whoever is the last to be tagged is the winner.
Freeze tag often includes some mechanism for freeing frozen players and thus forcing "it" to re-tag them. For example, if two frozen players can extend their arms far enough to touch each other (without moving their feet), they may shout "electricity!" and become un-frozen. In another variant, sometimes known as "stick in the mud" or "Chinese freeze tag", players may be un-frozen when someone crawls between their legs. Such an action helps prevent "it" from winning, but puts the person crawling in a position where he can be easily tagged and frozen as well.
Blob tag (or amoeba tag) varies from normal tag in that players who are tagged by "it" must join hands or arms and work together to tag further players who must also join the chain. The "blob" of "it" players continues to grow until the final player has been tagged. Blob tag is popular with elementary schoolphysical educationteachers as it works well with large groups of children and emphasizes teamwork.
In this variant, named for the 13th-century traveler, "it" is either blindfolded or made to keep his eyes shut firmly. The game then progresses as per normal tag, but "it" may shout out "Marco!" at any time. The other players must then reply "Polo!", thus giving the blinded "it" an audial clue to their locations. Marco Polo is most often played in swimming pools due to their small size and the difficulty of trying to escape "it" without making noise.
Hide and seek (sometimes also called hide and go seek) is a popular tag variant that is best played in areas with lots of potential hiding spots, such as a forest or a large house. The game starts with all players in a central location. "It" covers his or uses some other method to avoid seeing the other players while he counts out loud for a predetermined number of seconds, often with the aid of a word that takes about one second to say (e.g., "one-alligator, two-alligator . . ." or "one-Mississippi, two-Mississippi . . ." Meanwhile, the other players hide. It announces when he has finished counting by shouting a phrase such as "Ready or not, here I come!" He then tries to find the hiding players. The next "it" is either the first or the last player found, depending on the rules agreed to by the players.
Hiding players may be "tagged" simply by being spotted by "it," or they may give chase once they are spotted, forcing "it" to run them down and tag them. Also, players may move to other hiding spots while "it" isn't looking. Those who can remain hidden the longest are considered the best players.
"It" may give up, of course. A common way of doing this is to shout "Alley, alley, oxen free!" (probably a corruption of the German "Alle, alle, auch sind frei", or "All others are free").
This variant (named for the Japanese theatrical tradition) is played in darkness, but is otherwise similar to hide and seek. Being "it" is thus harder due to the low visibility. The "it" player can shout out "Kabuki!", however, thus forcing the hiding layers to reply with the same and therefore give a clue as to their whreabouts.
Smear the queer is often played with an object such as a ball which is held by the "queer". Once the "queer" is tagged or tackled, he throws the object into the air. The other players then try to grab the object, thus becoming the new "queer". Unlike other forms of tag, those who stay "it" the longest are considered the best players.
"One o' clock, two o' clock, three o' clock rock! Four o' clock, five o' clock, six o' clock rock! Seven o' clock, eight o' clock, nine o' clock rock! Ten o'clock, eleven o'clock, twelve o' clock rock! Midnight!"
At this point the group ventures out into the yard or forest in search of the "ghost". If any player sees the ghost, he yells "Ghost in the graveyard!" and all players run as quickly as possible back to base. The goal of the "ghost" is to tag another player, thus making him the "ghost" for the next round. If all players make it back to base safely, the "ghost" retains that role for the next round.
Dodgeball is a playground team-based tag game which uses rubber balls. Players throw balls at members of the opposite team to eliminate them from the game.
Paintball is similar to laser tag, except that it uses air guns (usually called "markers") that fire paint pellets to tag other players. Paintball can be played freeform, but games often include complex rules on custom-designed courses.
