The Ungame
Encyclopedia
The Ungame, created in 1972 by Rhea Zakich, is a non-competitive learning game of conversation
that "fosters listening skills as well as self-expression."
, was forced not to speak for months after her doctor found polyps
on her vocal cords. Although the polyps were removed and she made a full recovery, the experience affected her: unable to speak for that long period, and afraid that the problem might return, she felt emotionally estranged from her family. This led her to the realization that, as she put it, "we all spend so much time talking... but we never really communicate."
As a remedy, she decided to write down on paper cards a number of questions that she wanted to ask her husband and children. Some were light-hearted ("What do you like to do in your spare time?"), some serious and intimate ("If you could live your life over, what would you change?"). Before long, with nearly 200 cards on her hands, she realized that she could turn them into a sort of board game.
She played it with her family, and the results were surprising: her husband revealed for the first time how frightened her illness made him; her son, a bright student, expressed how he hated the constant pressure to perform well in school; the other son talked about how his brother's constant teasing hurt him. At the end of the game session, her husband said: "I've learned more about all of you in these twenty minutes than in the past five years."
Later, they let their neighbors borrow the game to play with their children; the oldest son took it to his school psychology class, and his teacher asked for copies. Soon, The Ungame Company was founded to market it; as their line expanded, the company was renamed Talicor.
While intended to encourage honesty
, The Ungame can be surprisingly fun and challenging when loosening its restrictions on answers based on reality
. Mature players can seek to come up with the most creative
, outlandish answers possible, especially through playing a role
.
Conversation
Conversation is a form of interactive, spontaneous communication between two or more people who are following rules of etiquette.Conversation analysis is a branch of sociology which studies the structure and organization of human interaction, with a more specific focus on conversational...
that "fosters listening skills as well as self-expression."
History
Rhea Zakich, then a young mother from Garden Grove, CaliforniaGarden Grove, California
Garden Grove is a city located in northern Orange County, California. The population was 170,883 at the 2010 census. State Route 22, also known as the Garden Grove Freeway, passes through the city running east-west. The city is known outside the Southern California area for being the home of Robert H...
, was forced not to speak for months after her doctor found polyps
Polyp (medicine)
A polyp is an abnormal growth of tissue projecting from a mucous membrane. If it is attached to the surface by a narrow elongated stalk, it is said to be pedunculated. If no stalk is present, it is said to be sessile. Polyps are commonly found in the colon, stomach, nose, sinus, urinary bladder...
on her vocal cords. Although the polyps were removed and she made a full recovery, the experience affected her: unable to speak for that long period, and afraid that the problem might return, she felt emotionally estranged from her family. This led her to the realization that, as she put it, "we all spend so much time talking... but we never really communicate."
As a remedy, she decided to write down on paper cards a number of questions that she wanted to ask her husband and children. Some were light-hearted ("What do you like to do in your spare time?"), some serious and intimate ("If you could live your life over, what would you change?"). Before long, with nearly 200 cards on her hands, she realized that she could turn them into a sort of board game.
She played it with her family, and the results were surprising: her husband revealed for the first time how frightened her illness made him; her son, a bright student, expressed how he hated the constant pressure to perform well in school; the other son talked about how his brother's constant teasing hurt him. At the end of the game session, her husband said: "I've learned more about all of you in these twenty minutes than in the past five years."
Later, they let their neighbors borrow the game to play with their children; the oldest son took it to his school psychology class, and his teacher asked for copies. Soon, The Ungame Company was founded to market it; as their line expanded, the company was renamed Talicor.
The game
Players progress along the playing board as they answer questions such as "What are the four most important things in your life," and "what do you think life will be like in 100 years?" Special spaces on the board encourage players to exchange their thoughts and feelings or describe how they've been affected by past emotions.While intended to encourage honesty
Honesty
Honesty refers to a facet of moral character and denotes positive, virtuous attributes such as integrity, truthfulness, and straightforwardness along with the absence of lying, cheating, or theft....
, The Ungame can be surprisingly fun and challenging when loosening its restrictions on answers based on reality
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
. Mature players can seek to come up with the most creative
Creativity
Creativity refers to the phenomenon whereby a person creates something new that has some kind of value. What counts as "new" may be in reference to the individual creator, or to the society or domain within which the novelty occurs...
, outlandish answers possible, especially through playing a role
Role-playing
Role-playing refers to the changing of one's behaviour to assume a role, either unconsciously to fill a social role, or consciously to act out an adopted role...
.