Lesson One

Wizarding Games Part One

In this lesson, we will discuss various games in the wizarding community and how they are played. Some of these games are self-explanatory, like Self Shuffling Playing Cards, and others need a bit more explanation. Wizards and witches of all ages enjoy playing games the same as muggles, but our games tend to get a bit more exciting since we have incorporated our magical abilities into them. However, if you pay close attention, you'll be able to see some similarities between these games and some well-known muggle ones. Around 1689, when the International Statute of Wizarding Secrecy was first signed, wizards and muggles began to close themselves off from each other, as most of you know. Beforehand, the magical community mixed themselves to a certain extent with the Muggle community and, thus, we shared many things, such as board games. After we grew apart, no doubt wizards and witches wanted to continue playing their games, so they began to create their own versions of them while adding a magical twist. After all, inspiration has to come from somewhere.

Gobstones

Gobstones is a wizarding game that mirrors the muggle version called marbles. To play, each person starts with 15 gobstones (which resemble marbles) and they place them in a ring. Each person's gobstones are colored differently to avoid confusion as to whose are whose. For instance, one person's gobstones could be colored green while the other's are red. The point of the game is to capture your opponent's gobstones by knocking them out of the ring. You start off by placing all of your gobstones in the ring except for a large gobstone which is your shooter. The first player positions the shooter ball in their hand and flicks it into the ring, trying to knock out their opponent's gobstones. Any of their opponent's gobstones that come out are then theirs. However, when a gobstone is "won" it shoots a putrid (disgusting smelling) liquid at the loser. There is a gobstones club at Hogwarts that many students are in, though it tends to attract a younger crowd. 

Exploding Snap

Exploding Snap is a magical card game. There are three different ways to play it. The first (the "Classical" version) involves the cards shuffling in front of you faster and faster. The point of the game is for you to tap the cards when you see two identical pictures. If you are able to hit the cards with your wand in time, as in, before they shuffle again (which they do faster and faster throughout the game), you receive one point. The person with the most points at the end of the game claims the victory.

The second version of this game is referred to as the "Patience" game. To play, each player starts with 20 cards each. As the game progresses, each player continues to reveal two of their cards, trying to find two identical ones. Like with the classical version, you have to tap your wand on the pairs. However, this game becomes slightly more dangerous in that the cards have a tendency to explode soon after you reveal them for the first time.

The third version of this game, also known as the Bavarian Rules Snap (named this since it is played in Bavaria, a region in Southern Germany), is even more dangerous. To play, cards are dealt in a circle. As you deal cards, you have to make sure you aren't dealing any duplicates (cards already dealt in the circle). Should you deal a duplicate, you have to tap both of the cards with your wand quickly. If you don't tap them in time, every single card explodes. As the game progresses, the time it takes for all of the cards to explode once you deal a duplicate diminishes so the game gets harder as it goes along.

Some of the versions of exploding snap seem to have a slight correlation to the muggle card game, "Spoons." In Spoons, cards are dealt in a circle to players. The point of the game is to collect three of the same card. Once you have three of the same card, you have to grab a spoon from the center of the circle before someone else is able to. Like Exploding Snap, the point is to find cards of the same kind and do something quickly - tap your wand in Exploding Snap before the cards explode, and grab a spoon in Spoons before another player sees you doing so and grabs it.

Like I said at the beginning of the lesson, there are many correlations between muggle games and magical ones. 

Wizard Skittles

This game is a semi-popular game at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Like the other games in this lesson, Wizard Skittles is a game that incorporates magic. Sort of like the muggle version of bowling, but on a smaller scale, the whole point of Wizard Skittles is to knock over as many pins as you can. The game board is set up in a circle, with players taking a seat around it. To play, you take your skittle, which looks like a small circular disk and slide it across the board with the intent of knocking over pins, which are placed around the circle. This game originated from a European lawn game called Skittles in which you had your pins set up at one end and you rolled your skittles across the ground to knock over the pins. At Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, tournaments are held during the school year that attracts children of all ages and houses to play. 

Self Shuffling Playing Cards

Self Shuffling Playing Cards are pretty self-explanatory in their name. They are, quite simply, regular muggle playing cards that will shuffle themselves which makes them rather convenient. We see these in the Harry Potter books when it is mentioned that Ron Weasley has a pack of them. Playing cards consist of four suits - hearts, diamonds, spades, and clubs. Each suit has the numbers 1-10 plus a jack, king, queen, and ace. Normally, playing cards also come with a few jokers which are like wild cards. Many different games can be played with these cards such as Solitaire, Go Fish, and Spoons, to name a few of my favorites. Once a game is finished, the cards will shuffle themselves well to be ready for the next game. 

That's the end of Lesson One! Please head on over to Assignment 1 :)