MPU 2042 CULTURE AND LIFESTYLE IN MALAYSIA
TITLE: TRADITIONAL GAMES IN MALAYSIA
NAME : DEEMAS ANYIE ACHAN
ID : 50108223002
LECTURER : KAMMARUZAMMAN BIN ISMAIL
SUBMITTED DATE : 22 MAY 2023
The Malay culture is rich in traditional games of many kinds. Typically, these games are played in leisure time.People who live in rural areas love playing traditional games. Since they were children, our ancestors have enjoyed playing it. Children no longer play the majority of traditional games as they are increasingly drawn to playing video games on computers these days. Some kids who live in rural areas are still interested in playing the old games, though. Children like playing traditional games like congkak, wau, gasing, batu seremban, and many others. Traditional Malay games are without a doubt a priceless and irreplaceable part of our cultural legacy because they represent our traditions, cultures, and identities.
With the development of social media and electronic devices, it appears to be a new and preferred leisure as technology advances over time. Kids today don't play classic games as frequently as 90s kidslike me did in the past, when wealthy kids would boast about having a Game Boy Colour and some would play teraju selipar. However, despite having such limited access to smartphones or tablets, children in rural areas continue to show a strong preference for and interest in playing traditional games.
Traditional games are actually the preferred pastime for children who live in rural regions since they provide free time and a means of social interaction. Sadly, it appears that classic games are losing popularity.
important artefacts to be preserved are our national heritage, and one of it are our traditional games. In Malaysia, there are lots of intentions and efforts are made to attract young generations with traditional games by promoting, preserving and cultivating cultural games using myriad mediums such as books, e-books, blogs, social media and portals.
Ministry of Tourism has taken effort and play their important role by promoting Malaysian traditional games to tourist. One of the best examples is International Kite Festival at Pasir Gudang, Johor. The event managed to attract kite-enthusiasts from all over the world the game to take part in the competition. It is considered a successful event because it managed to let the world know about our international event and at the same time promoting Malaysia and our traditional games to the world.
Defining a 'game' is not an easy task, as the meaning and specific definition of games as a form of play can be quite ambiguous and broad. A simple definition of the term 'game' is an activity that people engage in for pleasure and enjoyment. Wolfgang Kramer (2000) stated that the modern definition of a game is based on Juhan Huizinga's (Homo Ludens, 1938) and Friedrich Georg Jünger's work (Die Spiele, 1959). However, this is an overly broad statement, and thus this research will focus on games that are specifically associated with a cluster of traditional Malaysian games and sports. Unfortunately, these games have been referred to in Malaysia under a variety of names, including 'local society games,' 'traditional games,' and 'village games,' which adds to the confusion. So, to define these types of games for this research, we must first investigate the game's criteria and components.
Congkak is one of the most famous traditional games in Malaysia, Singapore and Brunei and some parts of Sumatra and Borneo. Congkak is considered as a game played for girls. Now, anyone can play it. Congkak is played with two players sitting in front of one another. Congkak boards are made of wood and the sides are carved into various shapes and sizes. The name congkak is originally from the Malay word “congak” that means mental arithmetic. Basically, that is how this game works. It’s all about mental calculation. One easy trick to win this game is that you must mentally calculate your next move in advance and this will give you an extra advantage to collect points and win the game. In addition, agile hands are also one of the key factors to win this game
Figure 1 :Congkak
“Spinning Top” or known as Gasing is a traditional game in Malaysia played by children mainly, young boys. Gasing originally comes from the state of Kelantan. At Kelantan, after the rice harvest season, villagers will meet up and challenge one another in a round of gasing to test their skills. The villagers believe that by playing gasing, it would give themgood harvest. Subsequently, gasing is played on a flat open area by children and adults. However, the gasing used by adults are much bigger in size and able to spin for a longer time compared to ones used by kids which are smaller in size. Gasing is made of wood and weighs around 0.5 to 1.0 kilograms. The different shapes of gasing are plate-shaped, heart-shaped, hat-top and berembang-shaped. Gasing Berembang are named because it is made from freely accessible fruit on the seafront. The fruit is round, somewhat flat and smooth
Figure 2 : Gasing
The game can also be played as a competition to choose the highest-flying kite, the most skilful player in flying the kite, the kite that makes the best melodious sound, the most colourful kite, the kite with the most beautiful drawing and the kite that flies in the straightest manner. The three types of wau are Wau Bulan, Wau Kucing and Wau Jala Budi. Wau Bulan, named for its crescent like tail shape. Wau Jala Budi or known as woman’s kite, takes the curves of a woman and Wau Kucing, named after a shape resembling a cat that is sitting from the rear corner, starting from the head, the body and the tail of the cat
Figure 3 : Wau
Galah panjang is a traditional game played on an open space or a court with lines drawn on it. The lines drawn are all depending on the number of players playing. usually, this game is played with 8 people with 4 players on each team. This game is played by both boys and girls as example, if the number of players playing is 8 people, there will be a total of 3 lines drawn. Galah panjang is a game about speed and efficiency of the players to run pass through the defending team.
Figure 4 : Galah Panjang
In this era of globalization, traditional games are beginning to be forgotten. This happens because the influence of modern games such as video games, computer games, etc. is prevalent in the market. Therefore, certain efforts need to be taken to popularize this game, especially to the younger generation. For example, national schools should organize co-curricular activities related to traditional games so that the younger generation can learn information and gain experience about traditional games. Malaysians play an important role in the preservation of traditional games. We should ensure that traditional games are not lost to the times. Regret first income, regret later useless. Let's not miss the traditional game after this game has been swallowed up by time. So campaigns and steps to popularize and defend traditional games are carried out. Apart from that, traditional games also play an important role as a symbol of the greatness of this beloved nation and country. Regardless of skin color or religion, traditional games are seen aspeople'sgames that can bring tolerance and pure life to life. In conclusion, in an effort to maintain traditional games, the parties concerned must take appropriate steps to develop and advance them. In the field of tourism, traditional games can be used as a force tourist's attraction. Traditional game treasures, if not maintained, will destroy the nation's identity.
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(“These Are the 6 Best Traditional Malaysian Games for Children to Play at Home | HappyPreggie”)
https://www.happypreggie.com/blogs/these-are-the-6-best-traditional-malaysiangames-for-children-to-play-at-home
https://www.iiumeducare.edu.my/traditional-games-among-the-malay-community/
(“Traditional Games in Malaysia: Types of Games”)
http://traditionalgamesinmalaysia.blogspot.com/p/types-of-games.html
