Native yet Traditional Street Games

One of the most unforgettable parts in our life is our childhood stage, where all you have to do is to play with your playmates and laugh with them all day. A day without playing games in the street is not enough and a complete day for a child because playing street games with your childhood friends is the time where you can have a bonding with them yet your fulfilling and investing a unforgettable moment to remember and can be treasured for the rest of your life. The usual games that we used to play when we’re a child and hit games for us are: Patintero, Tumabang Preso, Luksong Baka, Lusong Tinik, Luksong Lubid, Piko, and etc. these games are the native and the traditional Filipino Street Games.

                They said that if you did not experience playing this kind of games in the street, you lose the real joys of childhood to a total happiness of being a kid. Playing Pinoy street games can let children play outdoors with their “kababata” or childhood friends and bring back the fun in the neighborhood. When you’re playing street games, you can experience the joy of life and you’re also having fun yet you’re making friends with them at the same time. Through play, we let children experience the Filipino spirit by playing street games. As we all know, we’re now entering the age of modernization, where most people usually focus on computer games and other high tech gadgets. Because of that, they said that Filipino street games is being eliminated and set aside, sooner or later these native games will be gone in the future. But as far as I can see and observation, this kind of games is still existing and being practicing playing it. I believe that these kind of traditional games will still remains in the future generation.

                Playing street games also have benefits and value aside from having new friends. Playing games can make our body strong and healthy, we can learn how to cooperate with other people and it can sharpen minds. It can develop our nationalism and pride as being a Filipino because these games are made by the Filipino which is our native elders. Manly Jose Junio said that street games promote total fitness- from the physical with locomotor (moving from one place to another) and non- locomotor (moving on –the- spot without going anywhere) movements incorporated into the mental fitness. According to Dickie Aguado, executive director of Magna Kultura Foundation (MKF) whose advocacy is to make the Filipino Street Games to continued existing and be treasured by new generation. Playing games can promote patriotism that can encourage family bonding with parents and relatives who played these games when they were kid: and to enliven and generate livelihood in the community. It reviving a cultural treasure, it can create advocate and build an ecosystem of transformation. When these children grow up and learn to play western games, the paying of street games will not die there but continue to play and passes on from one generation to another.

                   There are about 50 native games classified into five categories according to Aguado. These include indoor games, Fiesta games (pabitin, paluan ng palayok, palosebo, agawang buko),Street games (patintero, luksong baka, piko, tumbang preso, luksong lubid, taguan), Running games (habulan), Indoor board games (sungka, dama, aand games of the generals which was invented by a Filipino). Apart from these, there are also the Tsinoy games such as Chinese garter, checkers, and Chinese jackstones. This are the usual games that children still playing. These games are Heritage Games played also by our parents. Larong Pinoy can make them proud to be part of the rich Filipino heritage. These games will be forever hit games for us and also to our future generation. I’m very sure that every time that you can see children’s whose playing in the street, you missed your childhood and you want to go back as if your child again so that you can play that freely again. But for me, age doesn’t matter because as long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing, you can still play street games anytime, there’s nothing wrong to act like a child sometimes.