Game of dares facts for kids
A game of dares (or a dare game) is a game in which people dare each other to perform actions that they would not normally do.
Gameplay
The games is played by two or more players.
A player asks another to do something that one would not normally do or even think of doing himself. The request may come in the form of "I dare you to..." or "Can you ...?". In order to stay in the game, one must perform the task he is dared to do. If a player refuses to do the challenge or fails to complete it, he loses and is out of the game. Often, losers are given nicknames like "loser" or "chicken".
Risks
The game may involve dangerous or unhealthy tasks.
Yet, according to social worker Jennifer Moore-Mallinos, "very few children will back on the challenge no matter what the potential risks may be. Attempting the task is[, for them,] the only option." She adds that "although many of these dares begin with harmless requests, over time [they] have the tendency to develop into more serious demands."
Popularity and demographics
The game's popularity is due to a person's need for recognition. It is commonly played by children.
In popular culture
The game is portrayed in the English children's novel The Dare Game (2000) and in the French film Love Me If You Dare (2003).
Similar games
A variant of this game is called "follow the leader", in which children closely follow the one who is "the leader" and mimic all his actions. Therefore, in that game the person who comes up with the dares does them first himself.
