I don’t remember the last time I used a pen except to sign a cheque or to mark my attendance, but what I do remember, is that it used be my best pal a few years ago. I also remember that it used to be strict no-no for me as a kid.
“It is meant only for grown-ups,” my mother used to say while I doodled with my pencil and glared at the ball-point pen near the telephone. I don’t know what attracted me to it was it the sticky blue ink or the magical nib that never broke, I cannot say for sure! I continued to have a fascination towards them until I got my first pen – a sparkling red fountain pen. Now do not assume the fascination I mentioned died off, it just grew into an obsession. Things moved on, the fountain pen was soon shelved and was replaced by a ballpoint and the ballpoint soon stepped aside for rollerball pens.
By now, pens were no longer just quills they were our playmates much like bows to an archer and eagles for boy scouts. The games we managed to create around this simple instrument were not just entertaining they were also highly creative in nature.
pic: news.yahoo.com
Roto-Pen
A game of Roto-pen would make your pen feel giddy. The gameplay was simple. Tie a rubberband around the middle of two or more pens and they were struck hard on either end and this would send them into a dizzying spin. The pen which spins for longer duration wins the ‘battle’.
Pen fight
Pens were like sumo wrestlers in this game and our classroom desk was the wrestling ring. The objective of the game was to hit the opposition pens out of the table by using your pen like a striker on a carrom board. You were not allowed to push your pen but had to strike with the index or middle finger. There was a team game as well as a last-man-standing variant of the game.
Pen Spinning
Pen spinning can be misunderstood to be a sign of restlessness, but it is a sport which demands high skills. It involves spinning a pen between your fingers repeatedly mixing multiple styles similar to juggling. The sport is quite popular in Japan and Hong Kong. The winner in a competition of Pen Spinning is decided depending upon his/her smoothness, speed, difficulty and creativity, while awarding extra points for special moves.
Pen jump (Posted by Ish)
This can be played only with those click pens. You click open the pen, put it on the table and then release it. Obviously it jumps because of the spring and the one who’s pen jumps higher, wins.
A 16 year old was recently declared the pen-spinning king
Do you know any other game that can be played with pens?
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