Ratchet Screwdriver
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- This article is about the game. For the tool, you see the separate entries ratchet and screwdriver.
Ratchet Screwdriver is a game played by many young Quakers in the United Kingdom, particularly at JYF. In the United States, the game is sometimes known as Wink, where it is also played by young Unitarian Universalists.
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[edit] The game
An odd number of players are required. No player is permitted to get up higher than their knees at any time.
One player is selected to be the 'loner'. The remaining players form pairs. The players form a circle of pairs, with one member of each pair sitting behind the other, facing the centre. The loner also joins the circle. The loner must then call out the name of one person in the inner circle, who may not be adjacent to them. This person must try to get across the circle to the loner, and kiss her/him on the cheek. His/her partner must simultaneously try to stop them by physical restraint. The loner may call out multiple names, and there is no limit to the number of people who can be trying to reach her/him at any one time. If the loner calls out 'Ratchet Screwdriver', the entire inner circle, not including the loner's neighbours, is called. When someone has reached the loner, they become his/her partner and sit behind her/him. All other pairs that have been called must also swap. Some groups also include the "The Sun Shines On..." rule. In this version, in addition to calling names, the loner may say "the sun shines on", then a description. For instance, if he or she says "the sun shines on anyone wearing jeans", anyone sitting in the inner circle who is wearing jeans tries to kiss him/her. Again, the people sitting on either side of the loner may not have a go.
The game is necessarily rowdy, but need not be violent, or even excessively dangerous, provided a few safety rules are observed:
- No kicking, biting, punching, gouging, et cetera.
- Shoes must not be worn. Socks are also a bad idea, for strategic reasons, as they reduce a player's grip.
- Likewise, jewelry should be removed, including watches, and coins, keys and other hard and/or metallic objects should be taken out of players' pockets.
- Tickling generally isn't allowed.
- Often, there is a word (e.g. 'Bob'), called if anyone is hurt to stop the game.
[edit] Active Discouragement
At events such as Britain Yearly Meeting and Summer Gathering, Ratchet Screwdriver is actively discouraged. In line with not deciding what other people can and can't do, it isn't 'banned', although the effects of active dicouragement are very similar. The reasons for discouraging the game are explained in the Discussion Room of The under 19's section of Quaker.org.uk. They, briefly, are that the game:
- Contains physical contact that some could find uncomfortable
- Is potentially violent, possibly resulting in minor injuries or broken property.
- Is exclusive, to younger people, people who do not know what the game is, and to people who haven't played when other people have recently.
Despite this, Ratchet Screwdriver is still played at many events, under various guises, including 'Scratchet Rewdriver', 'Bob' and 'The Friendly Quaker'.
