Chasing Terror: We Have Tagged Some Weird And Scary Facts About Tag Game

No matter when you grew up or became a parent, you’ve likely spent quite a few hours playing Tag games of various kinds. It’s one of the classic, simplest, and most beloved games for children. As a parent of two girls, I find myself playing catch-up games several times a week, sometimes with their other friends (because sometimes you have to mediate or become cannon fodder to improve the girls’ sense of success and competence).

As you may know, there are countless Tag versions, each with its own rules and advantages. As an adult who loves horror movies, I often find myself feeling like I’m inside one of those movies when I play such games: after all, the concept of “Tag” is, to some extent, an integral part of the suspense or horror narrative that these movies present to us. When my girls are running around at full speed, I try to act like Jason Voorhees, Michael Myers, and the rest of their friends, calculating the fastest route to their intended destination so I can get there before them at a slower pace (for some reason, this doesn’t work as well in real life). When I’m hiding, I sometimes imagine I’m a character in a horror movie hiding from a serial killer, zombie, monster, or whatever, trying to survive the night.

But what are the origins of Tag? What versions are there? And how can we connect it to our favorite genre, rather than my imagination? You can catch up here.

What Is Tag Game?

Tag – also known as chase, tig, it, tiggy, tips, tick, on-on, and tip – is one of the most classic and beloved childhood games. If you grew up in a dark basement, we will tell you that the game has two teams: the catcher (sometimes the catchers) versus the caught. The catcher’s goal is to make contact, usually through touch, with the other players, while they have to run away or hide well enough.

In the most basic rules, touching a participant by the catcher will cause the latter to become the catcher, and so on. In most versions, the game goes on and on until someone decides to stop it, as there are no scores, equipment, or even teams. These changes in the competitive versions of Tag, as we will discuss later.

Who Invented The Game Tag?

The origins of the Tag game are unknown. However, we assume that in very ancient times, various versions of Tag were played (or, people just chased after people), even in the 4th century BC. An ancient Greek poet named Erinna wrote a poem called “The Distaff”, in which she described a game in which one child, the “turtle”, chases others and turns the caught into a “turtle” himself.

There is also some controversy about the origin of the name. In 2018, a viral meme went viral, along the lines of “How old were you when you found out that…”, with a reference to the fact that the word “Tag” in English is an acronym for “Touch and Go”. An investigation on the website Snopes showed that this claim is probably false and that there are other possible origins for the game’s name.

The (Many) Different Versions Of The Tag Game

There are quite a few versions of Chase, with the differences between them being whether the caught can gain “immunity”, be released when caught, or be split between each side.

In a nutshell, here are some of the types known today:

🏃 Color Tag – the tagger decides on a specific color. When one of the caught touches something of the same color, he gains immunity, and no one can catch him.

🏃 Height Tag (also known as “Statue Tag” or “Elevated Tag”) – a game in which the way to gain immunity, at least for a few moments, is by climbing onto an object or device that is above ground level. There is another version in which the entire game takes place at a height, and whoever touches the floor is considered tagged.

🏃 Girls VS Boys (or vice versa) – a version in which the players are divided into groups according to their gender. When all members of the caught gender have been tagged, the game ends. This version is perfect for those carefree school days when young people explore the dynamics between the sexes, and the most sought-after boys or girls are the ones who will chase them the most. Actually, like an average slasher – I bet the virgin wins it.

🏃 Mouse Tag – a regular Tag game, whose twist comes the moment a specific player is tagged. He has to stand in his place with his legs spread. It may not look good or age-appropriate, but there is a logical reason: if another player who has not yet been caught passes under him, between his legs, the caught one is essentially blackened.

🏃 Hospital Tag – a game in which the caught one has to hold in his hands the area or body part that the catcher touched (and no, horny kids, this is not a reason to touch intimate parts of each other). The challenge for the new catcher is much more complex because he has to catch others while still holding the captured spot with one of his hands.

🏃 TV Tag – a pretty cool version of Tag in which the participants can say the name of a TV show and get immunity, assuming that no other player has said the same name. There is also a version in which we can release a tapped player according to the same principle. We offer, of course, an adapted version based on a scary TV series or horror movies.

🏃 Bubble Gum Tag – here, a player can get immunity if they stick to the wall. The problem is that, according to the rules, a player can only stick to the wall for up to 10 seconds at a time.

🏃 Tickle Tag – regular tag game, with a twist that Everyone tries to catch others, and when someone is caught, they stand still and raise their hands. The tagged person will only return to the player position after at least three players have tickled him for a few seconds.

🏃 Rescue Tag – In this type of catch, the tagged player stands with their arms spread out to the sides. Touching them with one hand will allow the players to free themselves.

🏃 Chain Tag – The game starts like the standard version, with one tagger. However, each tagged person must shake hands with the tagger, which creates a chain in which only the players at the ends can catch others. The last one left is the winner.

🏃British Bulldog – several variations of games in which one child stands in front of the rest of the group, announces the start of the game in the form of a call or dialogue, and then runs and tries to catch as many of them as possible. In contrast, they try to get to the other side without running into him.

🏃 Zoom Tag – a cute computer game, which has become common during the COVID-19 period. The players choose a card, behind which is hidden a specific task that they need to complete first (for example, bring four fruits or vegetables).

🏃 Other games with some aspects of Tag, such as Blind Cow, Cat and Mouse, and others. There are also chase games, such as Laser Tag or Water Tag.

Tag Can Be A Violent Game

This is a partial list of types of Tag games, featuring a variety of different and sometimes strange variations. If you are looking for a relatively violent and non-educational version, you should (or should not) get to know the Israeli game “Kadawa.” The starting point is that the catcher stands in a marked circle (hereinafter “house”) and can leave it to catch others only when he calls “Kadawa!” and hops on one foot. The violent change is that every time the catcher leaves his “house”, the other players can approach him and beat him, as long as no one tags them, of course. A tagged player can also be beaten until he reaches the house and decides the previous catcher is the ungrateful one.

There are several penalties for players who break the rules, such as entering the house when there is already one player, or a player who is supposed to jump but accidentally stands on one foot. The penalties include running between two lines of players while absorbing kicks without being allowed to protect their buttocks (“path”, or “penalty”) for ten seconds, performing the same task while walking six (“donkey”) if they fail it, and performing it while crawling on their stomach (“snake”) if they fail the donkey task. There are several other versions of Kadawa, some less violent, but the bottom line is the same: who the hell thinks of these games?

Even “regular” Tag games, it turns out, have dangerous aspects. According to reports, several schools worldwide have banned the game of catch for specific periods due to concerns about physical injuries, the possibility that these games could be a breeding ground for harassment or bullying, or even just the fact that these games are crude and not necessarily educational. Some fear that these games will cause self-esteem problems in some children, for the simple reason that the “stronger” and older children are usually the ones who dominate the game, while the weaker children are the victims. Some schools permit Tag only under the supervision of staff or with more nuanced rules, such as those governing player contact.

Unfortunately, there have been a few accidents related to Tag throughout history. In 2008, a 10-year-old boy in Nebraska fell on a sharp metal pole while playing the game, suffered a severe brain injury, and died. In 2004, a kitchen worker in her 40s was seriously injured after a child ran into her during a game of Tag at a Denver school. She spent about six weeks in the hospital, suffered a broken nose and even a brain injury, according to her lawyers, but judges decided to dismiss her lawsuit for damages because the child had not broken any school rules when playing Tag. Obviously, these cases are insufficient to argue that Tag is inherently dangerous; however, one can understand the argument that it is vital to occasionally monitor the environment in which such games take place and the rules that children choose.

Is Tag A Professional Sport?

If you are looking for a more sporty, intense, and challenging version, consider checking out professional Tag competition, also known as “Chase Tag.” The game combines elements of sports such as athletics and parkour, and takes place on a raised arena full of obstacles that require the art of parkour to overcome.

Chase Tag is a game played in two teams, each with up to six players, and includes 16 stages according to the basic rules. In each round, the catcher has only 20 seconds to catch the fugitive, with anyone who steps outside the arena being disqualified. The escaping team can only receive points if the player manages to escape for long enough. If the catcher meets the task, his team does not receive points, but the roles are reversed.

This competitive game began in 2012, when Christian Divo, a father, played Tag with his children, using various obstacles available in the yard, and decided with his brother to develop a game. Over time, it evolved into an international competition, eventually becoming a world competition (World Chase Tag), which one can achieve after winning the national and continental competitions.

Are There Movies About Tag? (Yes, But Not Many Horrors)

In a certain sense, we can easily find elements reminiscent of Tag in many horror movies, where a chase occurs between a killer, monster, or other character and the unfortunate victims. This idea is also present in many games, ranging from classic arcade titles like Pac-Man to survival horror games, where there are no set rules like those found in traditional versions of Tag. Still, the main rule is clear: you have to escape long enough, as seen in “Until Dawn” (the successful game and its movie adaptation).

An entire horror movie about The Tag game is something else. However, we have seen, for example, a film about hide-and-seek that combines elements of Tag – we are of course referring to the excellent “Ready or Not” with Samara Weaving. There are also some examples in other genres, but their number is minimal.

Tag (2018)

In 2018, the film “Tag” was released, based on a true story published at the time in the “Wall Street Journal.” The film centered on a group of men – played by talented comedians such as Ed Helms, Jake Johnson, Jon Hamm, Jeremy Renner, and Hannibal Buress (whom I don’t know, but he has a scary name) – who meet every year to play Tag and keep in touch. In a particular year, four of the guys decide to take advantage of the upcoming wedding of one of them, who has never been tagged, and finally manage to beat him.

The strange but entertaining film follows their journey together with a Wall Street Journal journalist (Annabelle Wallis from the movie “Annabelle”, “Malignant”, “Silent Night”, and the mediocre “The Mummy”) and the wife of one of them. Along the way, we see the interesting dynamic between them and discover some surprising revelations about the group, including some heart-wrenching scenes.

Tag (2015) Horror Movie

“Tag” (known in Japan as “Real Onigokko”) is a 2015 Japanese action horror film directed by Sion Sono, based on the novel “Riaru Onigokko” by Yusuke Yamada. The plot follows a girl named Mitsuko, who is saved from a deadly spirit that kills all the passengers on the bus she was traveling on. She quickly finds herself in various dangerous situations, as a fatal spirit chases her and switches between different identities in a world that is constantly changing. The film tells us she is in a fictional world run by an adult who plays a 3D video game called “Tag,” in which she and all her friends serve as characters. Mitsuko tries to break the cycle and change fate by taking unexpected actions, including attempting suicide. We haven’t seen the film yet, but the reviews for it are positive, and the combination of genres seems very interesting.

So it’s true that the connection between Tag and horror films is not necessarily direct. Still, the next time you play catch with your kids, try to see the scary aspects of the experience. For a few moments, you might feel like you’re in a life-and-death chase in a horror movie.

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