Rock Paper Scissors | Teachinghistory.org Rock Paper Scissors Question Is the Rochambeau game (rock-paper-scissors) named after the French army general who served during the American Revolution? Answer Maybe, but in a roundabout way. You will probably not be surprised to learn that this question is apparently not something that has elicited a lot of serious historical research up to now ("Where do I find historical evidence for a simple game played by children that requires no equipment?" and "Will I hurt my chances for tenure if I spend much time researching such a seemingly trivial subject?"), so I will have to go out on a limb here with my own theory, which is based only on circumstantial evidence. Because this is just my theory, I am going to have to explain how I arrived at it. Clearing Out the Undergrowth of Misinformation First, a confession: Although I began playing rock-paper-scissors when I was a child, I had never heard it called "Rochambeau" until you sent in your question.

Asking around, however, I discovered that some of my colleagues, raised in various places around the country, had vaguely heard of "Rochambeau," but with some of them I was not able to figure out if they had definitely called the game of rock-paper-scissors "Rochambeau" when they were younger, or whether they had merely watched a certain South Park episode in which Eric Cartman challenged another child to play "Rochambeau," but which he explained as consisting in a kind of duel carried out by kicking each other (Google "Rochambeau" and "South Park" to find a link to the clip, but I hereby give you a "language warning" for this). Nevertheless, more Googling makes it clear that "Rochambeau," used for rock-paper-scissors, has an older and wider provenance. Mathematicians and evolutionary biologists, for example, who have recently become interested in "multivariant" selection systems over the past 20 years or so, have written about rock-paper-scissors and have typically cited the game as "rock-paper-scissors" and then added "Rochambeau" or "Roshambo" in parentheses after it.

So that carries the word back at least a couple of decades. As an illustration of the severe limits on using Wikipedia for research, the English-language Wikipedia entry on rock-paper-scissors (or rock-scissors-paper, etc.) says that the game is called "Rochambeau" in French. But the French-language Wikipedia entry on the game lists the Francophone countries' names for it as: pierre-feuille-ciseaux, papier-caillou-ciseaux, roche-papier-ciseaux, pierre-papier-ciseaux, and feuille-caillou-ciseaux. It then says that the game is called "Rochambeau" in the United States. I wondered whether "Rochambeau" might be an English-language corruption of a French triplet beginning with "roche" (rock), but I have nothing else to offer in this speculative vein, so this is not part of my theory. A Historical Connection with Count Rochambeau? Next up was to consider the alleged connection with the Comte de Rochambeau, the French general who was a hero of the American Revolution.

Over the past decade, rock-paper-scissors has become a quasi-formally organized sport with international tournaments. Two American brothers, Douglas and Graham Walker, organized the World RPS Society, with tournaments, a website, t-shirts, and posters, and they have also published a light-hearted guide to playing "professional" rock-paper-scissors, which includes a brief and half-serious history of the game. Their Official Rock Paper Scissors Strategy Guide (2004) offers one theory about how the game became "synonymous with" the Comte de Rochambeau: "It is widely believed that an ill-advised throw of Scissors (or Ciseaux) resulted in his being uprooted from his ancestral home to become the marshal of the French forces during the American Revolution. His arrival is widely credited with the introduction of RPS to the United States." But this is all unlikely. Rochambeau (and Lafayette and other French military officers) were quite eager to come to America to fight with the Americans, and had to resist others' efforts to keep them in France so that their military experience would not be missed there.

Another mention of the supposed historical connection with Rochambeau is in physicist Len Fisher's Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life (2008): "George Washington is reputed to have played it with Cornwallis and the Comte de Rochambeau to decide who would be the last to leave Cornwallis's tent after the signing of the British surrender at Yorktown in 1781. (The story goes that Rochambeau won, which is why the game is still called Ro-Sham-Bo in some quarters.)" But Washington, Rochambeau, and Cornwallis did not negotiate surrender terms together in a tent; nor did they even meet together on that occasion. Cornwallis sent Washington a message under a flag of truce, proposing a cessation of hostilities so that officers appointed by each side could meet and "settle terms of the posts at York and Gloucester." After speaking with his own staff and with Rochambeau and his officers, Washington responded in writing that he wished to see Cornwallis' proposed terms of surrender before he could agree to the talks. Cornwallis sent back another written message to Washington, listing his terms.

Washington then decided that he could not accept the terms as written, but that they were enough to begin negotiations, so he agreed to the ceasefire and to send representatives to the Moore house on the York River behind the Americans' lines, where Cornwallis had proposed the meeting take place. The officers who met for negotiations the following day included Lieutenant-Colonel John Laurens, a native South Carolinian, who had previously been Washington's aide-de-camp, and (for Rochambeau) Colonels Louis Marie Antoine vicomte de Noailles (Lafayette's brother-in-law), and Guillaume Jacques Constant Liberge de Granchain. They met with British Lieutenant-Colonel Duridas and Major Ross, one of whom was Cornwallis' aide-de-camp. Negotiations lasted eight hours that day. They were extremely detailed about terms, including even the requirement for the British troops to march out with their colors masked and with their fifers not playing any British or German tunes. A final agreement was reached only during the second session, the following day, on October 19, when the same negotiators returned, having consulted with their superiors.

They then brought back the Articles of Capitulation for their commanders to study and to sign "in the trenches." Cornwallis signed for the British side. Generals Washington and Rochambeau, and Admiral de Grasse, gathered elsewhere, signed for the opposing side. That afternoon, the British forces marched out from where they had been besieged. Cornwallis was not among them. He pleaded illness, and left the formal surrender to Brigadier General Charles O'Hara, who rode up to the allied officers and asked which one was Rochambeau. He was immediately told to surrender to Washington, but when he stopped in front of Washington and offered him Cornwallis' sword, Washington refused, for reasons of military protocol, to receive a sword from the opposing side's subordinate commander. Washington directed him to surrender the sword to his second in command, General Benjamin Lincoln, which he did, and turned and rode away. None of the details of the surrender or the ceremony itself seem like they would have been left to a game of chance.

I conclude, therefore, that the stories that try to link the game with Rochambeau himself, are likely recent and apocryphal, made up in an ad hoc fashion to give flesh to why the game was called "Rochambeau." The Odd Lack of Written Evidence Now we get to the nub of this matter: I did a rather tedious search in online databases of books, periodicals, and newspapers published in America from the 17th- through 19th-century and found absolutely no mention of "Rochambeau" used as the name of a game, or, for that matter, of any mention of Rochambeau playing rock-paper-scissors, or even any mention of the game of rock-paper-scissors itself being played in America at all until well into the 20th century.

I certainly do not believe that my search has been exhaustive (many old newspapers are not online, for example), and there was plenty that was written that was never published, but if the game was being played by children of European descent "from time immemorial," it seems odd (but not conclusive) that I have been able to find no one mentioning it in anything published in America for the first several centuries of European presence here, even though the game, by its very nature, is not something on which writers would necessarily have thought to expend much ink, if they deigned to notice it at all. The absence of any mention of the game does not mean, by the way, that American children did not have hand games for deciding winners or selecting alternatives—"Odds and evens," for example, has a long history in Anglo-American culture (James Boswell mentions it in his Life of Samuel Johnson).

In addition, there is evidence (by way of a conspicuous absence of another order) of American ignorance of the game as late as the turn of the 20th century: Stewart Culin, Director of the Museum of Archaeology at the University of Pennsylvania, published Korean Games with Notes on the Corresponding Games of China and Japan in 1895. In it, he described various East Asian hand games, among which was the Japanese game of Janken (or Jankenpon). This was precisely what became our game of rock-paper-scissors, and is most likely its ultimate source, either via Europe or across the Pacific (perhaps through Japanese immigrants to the West Coast). Culin, however, grinds right through his description of it, placing it among his descriptions of the other East Asian hand games to which it is closely related, without ever talking about any game in his own culture, that is, without mentioning anything like, "this is identical to our game of rock-paper-scissors." This too suggests that in fact the game had not yet become a part of American culture by that time.

The Game Appears and Becomes Popular The first homegrown mention of the game rock-paper-scissors I found is in a compilation of children’s games, Handbook for Recreation Leaders, put together by Ella Gardner, the Government's "play expert" and "recreation specialist" with the Children's Bureau in Washington and first published by the Government Printing Office in 1935. In the 1930s, the Children's Bureau helped organize or participated in many national and international gatherings of child care specialists. Gardner herself was a kind of traveling outreach specialist on the subject of recreation activities. In the Handbook, the game of rock-paper-scissors is called, precisely, "Rochambeau." Gardner appears to have been fond of team games, so to adapt rock-paper-scissors, her Handbook has the players of each of two teams decide among themselves whether their team will present rock, paper, or scissors. Then, with the two teams facing each other, the captains of each team raise their fisted arms and bring them down in partial steps, each at the same time, saying "Ro," then "cham," and then, on "beau," revealing their sign.

The Handbook presents the game along with another, called "Fox, Hunter, Gun," in which foxes defeat hunters, hunters defeat guns, and guns defeat foxes. The signals of that game included simultaneous cries and arm gestures that impersonate the characters. Soon after the government made the book available to educators, recreation planners, community groups, clubs, and parents around the country, more descriptions of the game began to appear in books, magazines, and newspapers. Bernard Sterling Mason's Social Games for Recreation, for example, published the following year, describes "rock scissors paper." And letters to the children's sections of domestic newspapers began explaining and recommending the game in the late 1930s. There was an upsurge in the number of mentions of the game after World War II. It was initiated with articles in the Army's Stars and Stripes newspaper, written by army reporters stationed in Japan during the U.S. occupation of the country. The reporters appear to have been unfamiliar with the game from their own childhoods, calling it a kind of "odds and evens." From about that time, the game began being mentioned regularly in books, magazines, and newspapers. Clearly, by then it had become embedded in American culture.

Judging by the "documentary" evidence, then, it looks like the game found its way to popularity in America through the combined efforts of Ella Gardner of the Children's Bureau and, later, G.I.s returning from Japan. My Little Pet Theory The author of the Children's Bureau handbook, Ella Gardner, was a Washington, D.C. native. The Children's Bureau had been in the Department of Labor, but with the Bureau's large expansion under the New Deal, and especially the Social Security Act of 1935, would soon end up with the Social Security Administration (and later with HEW and its successor, HHS). At the time the book was published, the Children's Bureau was in the Widner building in Washington, D.C., on Connecticut Avenue. But the government was in the midst of a huge expansion, and was buying and leasing buildings all over downtown, and moving agencies from one place to another. The new Social Security Administration would quickly be moved into an apartment building that had been commandeered by the Government about a block away from the Children's Bureau. This building was the Rochambeau Apartments, at the corner of 17th and K Streets.

The building had that name because it faced Lafayette Square, which has a large bronze statue of the Comte de Rochambeau. The Rochambeau statue had been erected in 1902 and, in 1931, had been the focus of a large celebration of the sesquicentennial of the victory at Yorktown. If the Children's Bureau staff were looking for a ready place to try out games with a group of children, Lafayette Square would have been ideal. And if they were looking for a three-syllable word to hang on the game of rock-paper-scissors, "Rochambeau" would certainly have been near at hand. But why bother with making up a new name for the game?

Well, it was a Japanese game and English-speaking children might have been leery of a name as unfamiliar as "Jankenpon." Diplomatic relations between Japan and the United States were growing quite cool by the mid-1930s, so perhaps the Children's Bureau reduced the "foreign" feeling of the name "Jankenpon" by attaching a foreign name to it that was nevertheless indubitably a "patriotic" one: "Rochambeau." The upshot is that the name "Rochambeau" does appear to link the game to the French General, but it is likely his statue, not the gentleman himself, that is responsible for the link. So that is my theory, and I am sticking to it. At least for now. It seems more reasonable than supposing Washington, Cornwallis, and Rochambeau were playing hand games together during the British surrender. However, my theory is based almost entirely on a long chain of guesses and circumstantial evidence. If or when someone runs across some early mention of "Rochambeau" applied to the game, the entire limb I have climbed out on will be sawed off. But for now, that is the best I can come up with.

For more information Why is Rock, Paper, Scissors Sometimes Called Ro-Sham-Bo? | Vanessa Hart's On Rock, Paper, Scissors: Game Theory in Everyday Life by Len Fisher → Why is Rock, Paper, Scissors Sometimes Called Ro-Sham-Bo? Posted: April 11, 2012 | Author: Vanessa Hart | Filed under: Dilemmas | Tags: gaming , lord cornwallis , Ro Sham Bo , rock paper scissors | Leave a comment Why is Rock, Paper, Scissors Sometimes Called Ro-Sham-Bo? Rock, Paper, Scissors is also known as: Chief of the Village – Tiger – Mother of the Chief of the Village, Snake – Frog – Slug, Elephant – Human Being – Earwig, Gear – man – Gun, Bear – Cowboy – Ninja. Whatever the name, children aren’t the only ones to play it. Adults have also been known to use it when they cannot agree or would rather leave a decision to chance. George Washington is reputed to have played with Lord Cornwallis and the Comte De Rochambeau to decide who would be the last to leave Cornwallis’s tent after signing the British surrender at York-Town in 1781.

The story goes that Rochambeau won, which is why the game is still called Ro-Sham-Bo in some quarters. The Straight Dope: What's the origin of "Rock, Paper, Scissors"? A Staff Report from the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board What's the origin of "Rock, Paper, Scissors"? July 10, 2001 Dear Straight Dope: What's the history of the game of "Rock, Paper, Scissors"? Where and when did this whole thing start? — Scott McCulloch Well, Scott, you might think that "Rock, Paper, Scissors" is just a kid's game, but the fact is that some people take it very seriously. Too seriously, I'm starting to think. As is the case with most games that are primarily played by children, the exact time and place when the game was invented are unknown. There are theories, however. Geez, are there theories.

First, for the three people in the country who may be unfamiliar with the game, a short description: "Rock, Paper, Scissors," also known as roshambo (I'll get to the reason for this presently), has been around for a long time, and most civilized people have at least a passing knowledge of the game. It is most often used to decide small matters between two people--who'll drive to the burger joint, who has to take out the garbage, etc.--but it can also be played to decide larger matters, as part of a tournament, or simply as a diversion. The basics of the game consist of each player shaking a fist a number of times ("priming") and then extending the same hand in a fist ("rock"), out flat ("paper"), or with the index and middle fingers extended ("scissors"). Each of these is referred to as a throw, and which one wins is dependent upon the opponent's throw--paper wins against rock ("paper covers rock"), rock wins against scissors ("rock crushes, or dulls, scissors"), and scissors wins against paper ("scissors cut paper"). If each player makes the same throw, the round is a stalemate, and must be replayed.

Back in January of this year, someone in the Edmonton area had the same question as you've posed, Scott. The woman apparently was unfamiliar with our illustrious Unca Cecil, so instead of coming to the Straight Dope, she called local radio station CBC 740 AM, where morning host Ron Wilson runs a segment called "The Good Question" each morning. Mr. Wilson went to the same source that I went to for information, namely the World Rock Paper Scissors Society (hard to believe, ain't it?). The telephone interview that he conducted with a Society member by the name of Doug Walker, which I'll summarize here, can be found in its entirety at edmonton.cbc.ca/radio1/edm-am/goodques.html . Mr. Walker claims that the earliest known written record of the game is from around 200 BC in Japan, where the game was (and is) referred to as "Jan-Ken." I found the existence of the Japanese version of the game corroborated elsewhere, although I have yet to find any corroboration for the 200 BC claim. Mr.

Walker goes on to suggest that the game migrated to Europe in or by the mid-1700s, where it for some reason came to be associated with one Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau. If this name brings back unsettling memories of high school history, it is because Jean Baptiste was none other than the French general who was sent to command an army in support of George Washington during the American Revolution. Why this game came to be associated with the "Count of Rochambeau" is a mystery, but it certainly calls into question the means by which Washington secured Cornwallis's surrender in Yorktown. In any case, it does explain the name often used for the game, namely "rochambeau," or, more commonly, "roshambo." This isn't the only theory about the origins of the game.

A guy who goes by the handle "Master Roshambollah" on the bulletin board of the World RPS Society website ( ) lists two common theories about the origins of the game besides "the Asian theory": "the African theory," which relies on the creation of tools by early man in much the same way as the Asian theory, and "the European theory," in which RPS was either an early Scandinavian pastime which spread to Europe, or a traditional Celtic game that spread to Portugal and then to Europe. The European theory is advanced by another poster on the board who calls himself "Joao V de Portugal": "Current research undertaken at the University of Lisbon by Baltasar Rui Delfim, soon to be published in Nature and Time, has shown that the origins of the game of Paper, Scissors and Rock (Pihedra, Papelsh e Tijhera) can be attributed to Celtic settlers in the northern regions of Portugal, near the Portuguese/Spanish border, around the 6th century BC. . . . It is believed that the game spread to the rest of Portugal in the 3rd century BC and to the rest of the Spanish peninsula over the next 50 years.

Roman invasion of Hispania in the 1st century AD made the game popular in Gallia and Italia. However, the Romans did not introduce the game to the UK because they believed that the game could make the UK colonies rebel against the Senate and it was not until the Portuguese armada of 350 AD came to England that the game was properly introduced in Britannia." Is any of this for real? Hard to say. I've got a fairly sensitive sarcas-o-meter, but when I read the WRPSS website it swings wildly between "completely serious" and "total bunk." I mean, you really have to wonder about an organization where you get to pick your title from among 140,000 like "Zone Chancellor--Judiciary Logistics" when you join. On the other hand, the comprehensive rules section and strategy guide have an undeniable air of authenticity. At the very least, it's an enjoyable read. While looking into the past of RPS, I found the present quite interesting as well. It turns out that most cultures have some variation of the game, often with sub-variants.

In Japan, instead of the traditional elements, there is apparently a variation involving the chief of a village, a tiger, and the mother of the chief of a village (not surprisingly, the mother of the chief beats the chief). One of the most humorous variations comes from Indonesia and involves an elephant, a person, and an ant. The elephant can crush the person, the person can crush the ant, but how can the ant win against the elephant? It crawls in the elephant's ear and drives it crazy. I'd just like to know what the hand signals are for those three. Even more intriguing to a computer programmer such as myself is the future of RPS. For the past two years, a tech-head associated with the University of Alberta, Department of Computing Science, has put on a "roshambot" contest, where computer programs vie for the most roshambo wins against other bots. At first, it seems trivial: write a program that picks one of three choices randomly. But the winners are far more sophisticated than that, keeping track of opponents' previous throws, and anticipating future throws.

The winner of the 1999 competition, named "Iocaine Powder" (rent The Princess Bride if the term doesn't ring a bell), used an algorithm based on the concept of "Sicilian Reasoning" (The Princess Bride will make that term clear as well), which explores six levels of meta-reasoning for any particular prediction method. The winning bots have incredible levels of success. I don't know if there are any more competitions planned, but I'll be on the lookout. In the meantime, Scott, keep enjoying the game, even if its origins are obscure. And unless you've mastered Sicilian Reasoning, don't use it to decide any life-or-death conundrums. — "Rock Rocks, but Paper Wraps" Veg Staff Reports are written by the Straight Dope Science Advisory Board, Cecil's online auxiliary. Though the SDSAB does its best, these columns are edited by Ed Zotti, not Cecil, so accuracywise you'd better keep your fingers crossed. Roshambo « The Word Detective Roshambo Take your chances. Dear Word Detective: What is the derivation of the name “RoShamBo” for the rock-paper-scissors game? — Frances. Really? No kidding.

Live and learn. I had honestly never heard it called that. Then again, rock-paper-scissors is one of those games I’m not very good at. I tend to get stuck on “rock” and lose right away. Come to think of it, I’m really not very good at any game that involves hand-waving and the like. I’m the only person I know who’s actually been injured in a game of patty-cake. According to Wikipedia (motto: “We Am Frequently Correct”), rock-paper-scissors (which I will henceforth call “RPS” to save my sanity) dates back to the Han Dynasty in China (206 B.C.) and is now played everywhere on earth.

For the benefit of all you non-earthlings, the Oxford English Dictionary definition is fairly succinct: “A game (used especially to settle petty disputes or as a tiebreaker) in which, at an agreed signal, each participant makes a gesture with one hand representing either a rock, paper, or a pair of scissors, the winner being determined according to an established scheme,” which is usually “rock blunts (beats) scissors, scissors cut paper, paper wraps rock.” There is almost always a three-syllable counting phrase (or just “one, two, three”) chanted during the game, which consists of two warm-up feints and then a third swing of the arm when your choice of R, P or S is displayed. I’m sure there are at least three million YouTube videos demonstrating how it’s done. There is, interestingly, a World RPS Society, whose website ( ) offers all sorts of tips on strategy, variants, and the history of the game. The World RPS Society was founded in London in 1842 as the Paper Scissors Stone Club shortly after a law was passed in England declaring an RPS match “between two gentleman acting in good faith” to be a legally binding contract.

In your question you refer to “RoShamBo,” capitalized in such a way as to imply that it’s a sort of acronym for something, but apparently it isn’t, and it’s usually just written “roshambo.” There are two leading theories about the origin of the word. The simpler of the two theories ties “roshambo” to the Japanese name for the game, “janken,” and to the three-syllable phrase chanted during the game, “Jan-ken-pon” or “Jan-ken-poh.” The Chinese regional dialect version of the name, “jiang jun bo,” may also figure in this theory. If one of these two was the source of “roshambo,” it was probably via a misunderstanding and later modification of the term by English-speakers who didn’t speak either Japanese or Chinese. The phonological change needed to get from the Japanese or Chinese terms to “roshambo” would not necessarily be too long a stretch in such a case.

After all, we managed to turn the Mexican Spanish “vaquero” (cowboy) into “buckaroo.” The other theory about “roshambo” suggests an origin a bit closer to home for those of us in the US. “Roshambo,” goes this theory, is a phonetic form of the French “Rochambeau,” specifically as found in the name of Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau (1725–1807). Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur was a general in the French army, best remembered for commanding a force sent to help George Washington’s troops during the American Revolution. According to this theory, RPS was associated with Jean-Baptiste in some fashion, and he (or his soldiers) may have introduced the game to the American colonists, who may have tacked his name onto it in tribute. Or something like that. For a theory, this one is very hazy, but not impossible.

Intriguingly, the first known use of “roshambo” in print was actually in the form “Ro-cham-beau,” which would seem to lend credence to the Jean-Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur theory. Unfortunately, that first known use was in 1936, more than a century after Jean-Baptiste’s death, which raises the question of why it took so long for the gratitude of the colonists to manifest itself. Fortunately, I have my own theory. It’s not much of a theory, and I have absolutely no evidence for it, so caveat lector. My theory is that “roshambo” has nothing to do with anything Jean-Baptiste Yadda Yadda, Comte de Rochambeau did or did not do regarding RPS. I think it came about because American History courses taught to schoolchildren in the 19th and early 20th centuries almost certainly required them to learn about Jean-Baptiste and to memorize his name.

When, during recess, the children then used RPS to settle a dispute, the ornate three-syllable name “Ro-cham-beau” would have been on their little minds and thus a natural for a counting chant during the game. They could as easily have chanted “Wash-ing-ton,” of course, but “Ro-cham-beau” actually sounds like an exotic magic incantation. And “roshambo” is a lot easier to say than “rock-paper-scissors.” Urban Dictionary: roshambo roshambo 1) to kick or punch to the danglers, usu. proceeded by "swollen grapefruits." 2) phonetic French for "rock-paper-scissors." (The 3 friends roshamboed for the bill after wolfing down a humongous lunch at the local diner. The loser promptly paid without protest. 3) a sick game employed to determine possession of a desired object in dispute. The two individuals either punch or kick each other to the clackers until one party either succumbs to the pain and just simply gives up, or falls to the ground. The individual who remains standing emerges victorious and wins the game and possession of the object sought after.

by weave March 26, 2003 roshambo In modern day United States, Roshambo or Rochambeau is when two or more guys kick, punch, squeeze, or knee each other in the groin to win something (an object, money, bets, etc..) untill one of them gives up or falls down. The last one standing wins. This is a modern American twist on the game. It is also a very old word of Egyptian origin for the child game "Paper, Sissors, Rock". In the TV series South Park, Cartman and his friends play the game "I'll Rochambeau you for it", by kicking the opponent in the crotch. The first one to fall over loses the game. This of course means the first person to go is usually the winner. This is a way of choosing, and it's called Rochambeau. "How about we all throw some money into a pile and see who can win it... ROSHAMBO STYLE!" by Chris November 05, 2004 Who Invented Rock-Paper-Scissors? About The Weasel Who Invented Rock-Paper-Scissors?

It’s a playful children’s hand game that has transcended generations and it goes by many names: Roshambo or Rochambeau, ick-ack-ock (UK), and yes, Rock-Paper-Scissors (US). Though certainly a playful game, it is often used as a more “sophisticated” or “strategic” device used to come to a decision of some sort between two people. The answer as to who has to clean up the dog poo, who must pick up dinner, or who has to dig through the trash to find the wedding ring have all likely been determined by the hands of a game of Rock-Paper-Scissors. Like many children’s games, Rock-Paper-Scissors has evolved into a much more serious sport for adults becoming the center of tournaments, challenges, and other competitive events under the premise of mastering the game. Chances are you have heard of it, so before we get to history, let’s talk rules. How to Play Rock-Paper-Scissors As one of the most basic hand games, Rock-Paper-Scissors requires no actual props, cards, or objects at all.

In fact, all the players need bring to the table is their hands and a bit of luck. Each participant begins by simply shaking or pounding (if the enthusiasm is high) their fist a predetermined number of times (commonly 3) in what the professionals refer to as priming (others may simply think of it as the countdown of sorts). At the end of the priming, the participant is then able to use that same hand to lay their hand flat (Paper), make a fist (Rock), or extend and spread the index and middle finger to resemble a peace sign turned sideways (Scissors). Regardless of the option chosen to play, it is called a throw. The winner is determined by comparing the players’ throws. Rock, Paper, Scissors, Shoot! So you’ve pounded the table and thrown your shape. How do you determine who has won? It doesn’t take a referee (though the more serious players may disagree), as each shape has a simple, but predetermined ranking order that establishes the victor. Using the chart below, you can match each player’s throw to the other to determine the winner. Note that a tie (when both players throw the same shape) results in a re-match until one player has an undisputed win.

In essence, paper covers rock (win!), rock crushes scissors (win!), and scissors cut paper (win!). History of Rock-Paper-Scissors Who can we credit for such a classic and time-honored hand game? It has been estimated by some that the game is hundreds of years old and while there are no absolutes about its origins, it does have very interesting – if unverifiable – theories. Japan – There are stories of a similar game introduced in Japan that pre-date the birth of Christ called janken . This game is mentioned in a booktitled Wazazu by Xie Zhaozhi in 1600. In this text, the game is referred to as “shoushiling” and would develop into the game jen-ken that is popular in Japan to this day. There are also variations of the Japanese game such as the flat outlaid hand representing cloth as opposed to paper. French Commander – Other origins credit Jean Baptiste Donatien de Vimeur, Comte de Rochambeau in the 1700’s with creating the alternative name for Rock-Paper-Scissors as Roshambo or Rochambeau.

Though the game carries his namesake, it is thought that he had very little do with the creation or naming of the game. Scandinavians – Some believe that the game was created by Scandinavian peoples who in turn spread it across Europe. However, evidence to support this theory is sorely lacking and leaves much too much to the imagination. East Africa – Other more lighthearted theories include one that credits an East African culture over 6.3 million years ago with starting the game Rock Rock Rock. Then, through evolution, the game progressed to include modern tools as they became available. Celtic – Perhaps the most credible information regarding the history of Rock-Paper-Scissors was research that suggested that Celtic peoples who inhabited present day Portugal and Spain created the game in 600 B.C. The research also suggests that a Roman invasion 700 years later spread the games reach further across Europe. That being said, it is also suggested this research could be skewed by a very similar hand game turned decision-maker called Morra . Regardless of which tale you regard as the truth, one thing is for sure: No one is all that sure of where Rock-Paper-Scissors originated.

The game became popular in the United States in the early 1900’s, but before that was primarily popular in Europe and Japan. Today, it would be tough to find many people across the world who were not at least somewhat familiar with the world’s oldest game for deciding who has to taste the expired milk. roshambo - Wiktionary roshambo roshambo ‎(third-person singular simple present roshambos , present participle roshamboing , simple past and past participle roshamboed ) To play a game of roshambo in order to decide a point of contention. I'll roshambo you for it. RoShamBo Fighter: RPS Hadouken - Android Apps on Google Play RoShamBo Fighter: RPS Hadouken ( 2,653) Description Do you have what it takes to be a legendary warrior of RoShamBo? Engage in epic battles with the fabled fighters from the Schools of Rock, Paper, and Scissors! Choose your school! Choose your style! Choose your destiny! Will you be the Rock Master, the Paper Champ, or the Razor King?

Take courage and be the true hero of RoShamBo! You are Ro, warrior hero seeking to bring to justice the villainous gang who desecrated and burned down your beloved RoShamBo Temple. With years of training in the School of Rock, you are ready to unleash your legendary Kamehameha and Dragon Fist upon your foes! Rely on your quick reflexes to counter waves of incoming attacks from your enemy. As you face each enemy, your reactions will be tested, and your martial skill will be pushed to the edge. Train to become stronger, attack faster, and hit harder. Unleash your awesome combo power, and knock your opponent out cold with multiple attacks! Each opponent brings a different set of strengths and weaknesses; beware their incoming strikes as they distract you with some serious taunts. Earn a Flawless Victory by defeating your opponent without getting hit! RoShamBo Fighters gives aficionados of the Rock Paper Scissors genre a mashup of arcade 2D style fighting, but with an RPS twist. Each opponent offers unique attack moves, and hilariously memorable wacky voiceovers that will give players of all ages a good laugh.

But don't sit on your duff thinking this game is an easy walkthrough: the further you get, the harder the the opponents fight, and the better you have to be. This ain't your grandpa's RoShamBo! Features: •Classic dueling brought to a whole different level - Rock beats Scissors, Scissors beats Paper, and Paper beats Rock, but in a whole new way--this isn't your grandpa's RoShamBo! •Intuitive battle interface – channel and unleash RoShamBo attacks, block incoming attacks, or send a combo and knock out your opponent in style with a simple tap. •Specialize your fighting style – choose your path of Rock, Paper, or Scissors and power up in that school of fighting. •Deadly Combos – harness your fighting style and throw up to 5 combinations of rock, paper, or scissors in devastating combos! •Wacky ingame voiceovers that poke fun at pop culture, old school kungfu cinema, gaming icons. Read more

Question: What game is sometimes called roshambo?
Answer: Rock-Paper-Scissors