Rock paper scissors video.
Rock paper scissors (also known by several other names and word orders, see § Names) is an intransitive hand game, usually played between two people, in which each player simultaneously forms one of three shapes with an outstretched hand. These shapes are "rock" (a closed fist), "paper" (a flat hand), and "scissors" (a fist with the index finger and middle finger extended, forming a V). The earliest form of "rock paper scissors"-style game originated in China and was subsequently imported into Japan, where it reached its modern standardized form, before being spread throughout the world in the early 20th century.
The name "rock paper scissors" is simply a translation of the Japanese words for the three gestures involved in the game,[4] though the Japanese name for the game is different.
The name Roshambo or Rochambeau has been claimed to refer to Count Rochambeau, who allegedly played the game during the American Revolutionary War. The legend that he played the game is apocryphal, as all evidence points to the game being brought to the United States later than 1910; if this name has anything to do with him it is for some other reason.[5][6] It is unclear why this name became associated with the game, with hypotheses ranging from a slight phonetic similarity with the Japanese name jan-ken-pon,[5] to the presence of a statue of Rochambeau in a neighborhood of Washington, D.C.
The modern game is known by several other names such as Rochambeau, Roshambo, Ro-sham-bo, Bato Bato Pik, Jak-en-poy and Quartz Parchment Shears.[7][8][9] While the game's name is a list of three items, different countries often have the list in a different order.
In North America and the United Kingdom, it is known as "rock, paper, scissors" or "scissors, paper, stone".[10][11] If this name is chanted while actually playing the game, it might be followed by an exclamation of "shoot" at the moment when the players are to reveal their choice (i.e. "Rock, paper, scissors, shoot!").[12]
In Australia, the most common name is "scissors, paper, rock" (the reverse of the American format).[13] There have been claims that there are regional variations of the name in Australia; the video claimed that it was referred to as "scissors, paper, rock" in New South Wales, "rock, paper, scissors" in Victoria, South Australia and Western Australia and "paper, scissors, rock" in Queensland, though this has been disputed.[14]
In New Zealand, the most common name in English is "paper, scissors, rock".[15] In Māori, it is known as pēpa, kutikuti, kōhatu (lit. 'paper, scissors, rock').
The players may start by counting to three aloud, or by speaking the name of the game (e.g. "Rock! Paper! Scissors!"), raising one hand in a fist and swinging it down with each syllable onto their other hand (or in a less common variant, holding it behind their back). They then "throw" or "shoot" by extending their selected sign towards their opponent on what would have been the fourth count, often saying the word "shoot" while doing so. Variations include a version where players throw immediately on the third count (thus throwing on the count of "Scissors!"), a version including five counts rather than four ("Rock! Paper! Scissors! Says! Shoot!", almost exclusively localized in the United States to Long Island and some parts of New York City), and a version where players shake their hands three times before "throwing".[citation needed]