Rules

The game is called Peanut Showdown. In this game, the maximum number of players is two. The required materials are a can of peanuts (optionally any kind of nuts or popcorn or even chickpeas), a handful of paper towels, an open play area of at least 5×2 m2. The game is simple. Each player agrees upon a distance initially and starts throwing the nuts at each other’s’ mouths by turn. The thrown player has to catch the nut only by using her mouth, no limbs allowed. One strict rule is that they need to throw vertically, and kindly. Both players have three lives. The game starts simply yet each time a player manages to catch the nut he has to go one step back, deciding how big the step will be himself. Each fail of catching a thrown nut means losing one live. If a player loses all the three lives, he loses and the game is over. The loser has to clean all the thrown nuts after the game as a punishment.

This is a game because there is a challenge involved consisting of a required ability and strategic thinking along with observation. It is a fun activity and a new experience because the activity it involves is merged with the competition. There is the concept of losing and winning along with a punishment. The punishment is not too heavy to take the fun away from it. It gives meaning to losing while respecting to the play area by cleaning it. The space in the game can grow if more experienced players are involved. The preferred location of the game is indoors to motivate the players by taking the fear of falling down and getting injured.

Peanut Showdown largely exhibits construction over destruction. It involves improving a set of skills (reflexes, strategic thinking) while supplying pleasure. It introduces a new experience to its players and motivates them to be risk takers to win the game. There is also a minor exhibition of destruction which is making the loser clean the play area. This rule, however, gives the game consequences so the players try harder to not lose.

The strategy is shaped by deciding one’s size of the steps. A player can dominate by finding the distance that the other player is weak at. Thus, it is natural that more experienced players have a huge advantage in this game.

                                                     Gameplay

The game experimented with a player and the rules previously stated were pretty much respected and not violated. The player expressed the difficulty of the game which is normal for an inexperienced player. The joy of the audience can be heard which reveals the fun of Peanut Showdown.