Sunday Times December 2, 2007 reported on the click-clack of mahjong tiles is getting louder as many new unlikely converts frown and plot for relaxation and fun.
Mahjong brings out the best – and worst – in people, say enthusiasts.
Here’s Lifestyle’s tongue-in-check take on these oft-seen players.
Mahjong brings out the best – and worst – in people, say enthusiasts.
Here’s Lifestyle’s tongue-in-check take on these oft-seen players.
The Superstitious freak
Traits: She wears the same red underwear each time she sits down to a game and insists on taking the same seat she sat in the last time she won. She lives in constant fear of a spectator tapping her shoulder as that might ruin her winning streak. If she’s on a roll, she won’t wash her hands no matter how dirty they are.
The Outcast
Traits: No one calls him unless they are desperate for a kaki and scraping the bottom of the barrel. That’s because he’s usually slow whenever it comes to his turn, taking ages to figure out what tile to throw.
The Gambling god
Traits: The silent killer who remains poker faced through the game and then suddenly surprises everyone with an incredible winning combination. He reads up on mahjong strategies and meditates before he plays. Also the one who can “feel” the characters when he pick up the tiles from the board.
The Sore Loser
Traits: She’s not very good at all and so is on a constant losing streak. She’s quick to blame everyone for her incompetence – common accusations include: “changing places to change winning chances, everyone’s ganging up on me” and usually ends the night storming out of the house in a huff.
I gather that this Christmas one of the best gifts that shopper will rush to buy will be the mahjong set that comes with bilingual wording on the tiles. The teenagers, non-local Chinese and the expatriate are all into the pursuit. In fact, mahjong which requires luck, skill and strategy is so popular with youngsters looking to pass time, yuppies looking to let off steam after a stressful week, non-Chinese local and expatriate wanting an Asian experience instead of the usual bridge. For distributors of mahjong tiles and accessories, quickly DID and ordered a huge stock of mahjong tiles wrapped in Christmas theme wrapping paper and my cash register will ring non-stop.
Mahjong is a game long associated with old uncles and aunties and is clicking away with the surprising group of people these days.
Mahjong originated in China around 1850 and pits four people against one another in several rounds called “winds”. Players have to assemble winning combinations – these are often given flowery names like Thirteen Wonders and Full Happiness –from tiles that are circulated around a square table.
For each round, chips are typically exchanged but whether these are eventually converted into cash is up to the players.
The recent craze of this pursuit could be due to the recent buzz over Singapore’s two upcoming integrated resorts. Another reason could be that over the years, mahjong has managed to shed away the gambling related stigma. 52 percent of the 2,000 respondents regarded mahjong and card games as a leisure, not gambling activity. Such is so provided that money played with close friends and relatives and not outside the circles.
Another reason could be due to the fact that medical research mentioned that mahjong is a mental stimulation (a mental sport and that luck is often not the sole determinant behind who sins the game). Mahjong is supposing a cognitive stimulating activity what can be productive for an elderly to stave off the Alzheimer disease. Playing improves cognitive abilities such as planning and decision-making.
Mahjong originated in China around 1850 and pits four people against one another in several rounds called “winds”. Players have to assemble winning combinations – these are often given flowery names like Thirteen Wonders and Full Happiness –from tiles that are circulated around a square table.
For each round, chips are typically exchanged but whether these are eventually converted into cash is up to the players.
The recent craze of this pursuit could be due to the recent buzz over Singapore’s two upcoming integrated resorts. Another reason could be that over the years, mahjong has managed to shed away the gambling related stigma. 52 percent of the 2,000 respondents regarded mahjong and card games as a leisure, not gambling activity. Such is so provided that money played with close friends and relatives and not outside the circles.
Another reason could be due to the fact that medical research mentioned that mahjong is a mental stimulation (a mental sport and that luck is often not the sole determinant behind who sins the game). Mahjong is supposing a cognitive stimulating activity what can be productive for an elderly to stave off the Alzheimer disease. Playing improves cognitive abilities such as planning and decision-making.
New enthusiasts see mahjong as more of a lifestyle pursuit rather than to make a quick buck. Medical research singled out mahjong as a possible way to prevent dementia in the elderly. The washing of tiles during a game is strangely therapeutic. It helps to keep the mind off work. Washing is when players shuffle tiles around in a circular motion after a round.
It is just like playing chess; a mahjong game stimulates our mind and benefits both the young and old by training their concentration and memory. At the same time it promotes socialization. But if money is exchanged, it is gambling and not a social play anymore.
Mahjong play a large part in the gambling scene in Asia and problem gambling has it seeds in “social” gambling. Mahjong is addictive and there are many types of “social” games why mahjong? Scrabble anyone?
.JPG)
