Types of Tag Games and How to Play Them
Tag, that simple game where the person who’s “it” touches someone to pass on the role, is something just about everyone has played.
It’s said that if you trace it back, its origins lie in Heian-period rituals for driving away demons.
Today, it has evolved into many different variations.
This time, we’ll introduce some of those diverse forms of tag.
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Types of Tag/Demon-Tag and How to Play (41–50)
Hide-and-seek tag
As the name suggests, it refers to a game that combines hide-and-seek and tag.
Participants initially hide just like in hide-and-seek, but they aren’t considered caught until the “it” player actually tags them, and they can try to run away.
It’s very thrilling and gets really heated.
Due to the nature of the game, you need a fairly large area with playground equipment or other places to hide in order to play.
Miracle Sight Tag
Tag is exciting enough just by chasing and being chased, but this is a game of tag played while wearing various mysterious glasses.
Depending on the glasses you put on, you might only be able to see far away or only your feet, and having to run away or give chase under those conditions feels surprisingly fresh and seems like it would get everyone really pumped.
Tail tag
This is a tag game where everyone is “it.” Tuck something that can serve as a tail—like newspaper strips, ribbons, or strings—into the back of your pants, and everyone tries to grab each other’s tails.
If your tail is taken, you can take a spare from the box of extra tails and continue.
The person who collects the most tails wins.
Rescue Tag
As in a regular game of tag, choose one person to be “it” and have them chase the others.
When “it” touches a player, that player must freeze on the spot, but if another player touches them, they come back to life and can run again.
If there are many players, adding more taggers makes it even more thrilling and fun.
Shadow stepping tag
Shadows are fascinating, aren’t they? It’s a somewhat indirect and slightly mysterious game where the person whose shadow gets stepped on becomes “it,” and the length of the shadow even changes depending on the time of day.
Maybe because of that dreamy image, there are lots of songs titled things like “Kagefumi-Oni” or “Kagefumi” (Shadow Tag or Shadow-Stepping).
The video shows an owl playing shadow-stepping.
It seems animals are interested in shadows too.
Tag (or Chase) Marriage Hunting
This isn’t a type of tag, but a video showing an example where tag was used for matchmaking.
Tag allows for natural physical contact and seems to satisfy the desire to catch and be caught, so it feels like it could be useful for matchmaking.
It also seems that some companies use tag for things like new employee training.
Tail tag
It’s also sometimes called the tail-grab game.
First, choose a few taggers.
Everyone else tucks something like a hat or a jump rope between their waistband and their body, leaving more than half of it hanging out, and runs around to escape.
If a tagger grabs it, that player is out.
If all players are eliminated within the time limit, the taggers win; if even one player survives, the taggers lose.
It’s really fun to play as a team competition, too.
It doesn’t have to be a “tail”—using hats and other items works just as well.
Magic Ogre
The tagger touches children and casts spells on them.
For example, a child who’s been told “Turn into a cat” will imitate a cat.
The tagger keeps catching more children and casting spells, but if they’re touched by a child who isn’t under a spell, the spell is broken.
Banana Tag
A game of tag where if the chaser touches you, you turn into a banana.
It’s a bit like freeze tag.
People who become bananas put their hands together, raise them above their heads, and tilt their bodies.
Then someone else “peels” the banana to bring them back.
If the chaser manages to turn everyone into bananas, the chaser wins.
Cross Demon
Draw a square about 5–6 meters on each side, and inside it draw a cross with lines 50 cm wide.
The tagger can move only within the cross.
The non-tagger(s) can run only in the parts that aren’t the cross.
It sounds like it would be fun to make various rules, like hopping on one foot only or moving only counterclockwise!