Rock Paper Scissors

Americans have botched the wholes system of Rock Paper Scissors. Do you show your hand on "Scissors" or wait till just after you say scissors, or do you show when you say "shoot". It's not standardized, and this makes it far less useful. When I came to Japan I was taught by my students "how Americans play Rock Scissors Paper". 

1. The new order of the words is Rock Scissors Paper

2. You say the word Rock and make the rock gesture with your hand, then say scissors and do the gesture, then say Paper and do the gesture

3. After you say "Rock Scissors Paper" you but your hand behind your back and Say 1,2,3. On three you throw your gesture.

4. If you tie, you just say 1,2,3 again and throw a new symbol on 3, keep repeating 1,2,3, until someone is victorious.

This is an outstanding tool in life. As a teacher I use it to pick which student gets to be a volunteer when many students want to be a volunteer ( if you loose to me, you're out, I weed them out until there is only one left). Ben and I use this system when we disagree on who has to clean the toilet. Kids on the street run up to me and play Rock Scissors Paper, just because they get a kick out of winning... or loosing. They're just happy that I go along with it.

Japanese kids have many sadistic systems for using Rock Scissors Paper to beat the snot out of each other  It's the Japanese equivalent of bloody knuckles. My favorite Rock Scissors Paper version to watch is one where if you win you get to grab a chunk of the other persons face, if you win again you use your other hand to grab another chunk of that persons face, and when you have both hands on their face you stretch their face around to hurt them and make them have funny faces.

My vote is that we just institute the english language version of Japanese Rock Scissors Paper. It works well, and is much less confusing.