RPS is a specifically Japanese member of this family. East Asia is particularly rich in both extant and historical gesture games, of which RPS has been the most internationally successful example. Gesture games are a large family of games which has been independently discovered at various points in history. Sansukumi is often used as an important element in balancing computer games the Infantry/Cavalry/Artillery sansukumi is common in war games, for example. For example, “The emperor commands the citizens, the citizens command the slaves, and the slaves threaten to rebel against the emperor”. This concept originates in China but appears early in Japanese literature, associated both with games and with a variety of edifying philosophical concepts. Sansukumi (Japanese link) is a Japanese expression referring to three forces that hold one another in check. In the 90’s, for example, when RPS was commonly played for money in some parts of Japan, a ‘best of three’ game could be over in four or five seconds. As a result, the outcome is determined by the player’s ability to quickly select a strategy, discard a losing strategy, stay calm, and analyze their opponent’s behavior.įor this reason, while RPS play various between regions, there’s always a rapid countdown or chant and a quick turnaround time. If RPS is played rapidly and to a rhythm, players do not have time either to find a source of random moves or to overthink.

Both these eventualities have the same outcome - random play and an equal expectation of wins over time for either player. If RPS is played slowly, or with no time limit at all, the players have time to EITHER come up with a genuinely random value to base their play on, OR to overthink their own throw and the opponent’s throw until the result is so convoluted that it might as well be random.This is why RPS is played to a fast rhythm: The outcome is entirely determined by the decisions of the players. It is absolutely crucial to understand that RPS has no random component. Before considering RPS strategy, this article will briefly sum up the core principles and history of RPS. Its minimalism makes it unique among well-known games, but its powerful underlying principles are extremely widely applicable and have fascinating implications. Rock Paper Scissors (hereafter RPS) is a seriously under-studied game. History depth: Jitter: The game of Rock Paper Scissors

Paper rock scissors online