Rules for Good Safe Play
The cardinal rules of New Games have not changed since I was trained. They should be adopted and reviewed by every men’s group every time before beginning play. Paraphrased they are: Play Hard, Play Fair and Nobody Hurt.
1. Play Hard Everyone participates fully: You are among friends. There is no one to impress. Don’t worry about your performance. This is uninhibited play, not sport. So, put your heart and soul into the moment.
2. Play Fair This isn’t about winning. The goal is fun. If you’re playing tag and the guy gets you, don’t argue about it. It takes the fun away for you and for him. If you’re told you crossed the line, accept it and accept that everyone is playing fairly. Cheating in play cheats everyone.
3. Nobody Gets Hurt Sure it’s all fun and games until an eye gets put out. Or even until one of the guys gets a bit put out. Be careful because men can get carried away. Here is a good rule to follow: For any reason, a man can stop the game. If he is hurt, going to throw-up, tired, lost his contact lens, or just wants to stop, he says “Stop”. Whoever hears him, starts repeating “stop” until everyone has stopped. This does two things. First, it helps to spread the word to stop and second it supports him in his call to stop. He is not the only one yelling stop.
Remember hurt can also be emotional, so don’t insult anyone or don’t make a guy feel bad. This is fun. In play, men should not be punished for having fun.
Optional Rules Here are two optional rules to consider at the start of every game. Sometimes they make sense sometimes not. They can make some game, fair, fun and over the top.
1. Anyone can switch sides anytime they want. This is a great way to play a lot of games. It takes the importance out of whose team is better. It is especially fun to switch to the side that’s losing because it’s more fun to be the underdog.
2. If it is a game where a score is kept, let the guy scoring decide how much his success is worth.
