Concept in Definition ABC

There are simple games that require great skill manual and certain doses of strategy. The jenga, also known as the tower, is one of these games. It is an entertainment that was invented in 1974 by a Tanzanian woman, Leslie Scott. Drawing inspiration from a hobby called takaradi, he created jenga (this word comes from the Swahili language and means to build).

The presentation Official game occurred at a toy fair in London in 1983. Within a few years it became an internationally recognized hobby.

A tower made from 54 rectangular wooden blocks

The game is characterized by its simplicity. Thus, a tower formed by levels of three pieces of wood until 18 floors are reached (blocks are placed alternating their direction on each level). From this moment two or more participants begin to play following some basic rules:

1) Each player removes one of the pieces of wood that is not in the upper part of the tower, using two fingers to do this and then placing the piece in the upper part of the tower,

2) then wait a few seconds to check if the tower remains standing,

3) the next player performs the same initial operation again and

4) the loser of the game is the one who causes the tower to collapse.

The keys to success

We humans love to test our abilities. In the case of the jenga, there are two skills involved: manual precision and the correct strategy to choose which piece should be extracted from the tower.

It is a hobby adapted to any age and the number of players can vary. On the other hand, the duration of the game is short and each game ends in a few minutes. If the participants are kids, the game implies some lessons:

1) manual precision is exercised and coordination eye-hand,

2) the tower structure allows understanding of geometric shapes,

3) you learn to develop patience and

4) the spirit of overcoming, since the losing player can get a next victory if he exercises his skills.

Finally, with the pieces of the jenga it is possible to build all kinds of structures (buildings, bridges, cities ...).

In Argentina the game achieved great popularity when the presenter and director Gerardo Sofovich introduced it in a television program

The program "Sunday night" is a classic on Argentine television. It began airing in 1987 and remained on different networks for 18 seasons. On several occasions the host of the show played a game of jenga with different famous people. This circumstance made the game very popular among Argentines.

Fotolia photos: Frank / Oksana Kuzmina

Themes in Jenga