Rock-Paper-Scissors: The Real Winner

By James Wallsrps-001
Copy Editor

 Rock-Paper-Scissors is a game where two opponents compete for victory while armed merely with three simple hand gestures. While these matches often seem random, with little thought being put into each move, many say it does in fact require some strategy.

“…They have world tournaments for this game,” said Nathan Gandy, psychology instructor. “In fact, you could say it’s in psychology’s wheel-house, if you will. Good players are predicting what others will do.”

While many believe that strategy does have a role in Rock-Paper-Scissors, some students believe that gender may also be a determining factor.

“Women are better at evaluating this kind of game and always come out on top,” said Ashleigh Long, a business administrations major. “It is a mind-boggling strategy game.”

To determine whether strategy plays a role in the game, as well as if gender is part of the deciding factor, a survey was taken on the Neosho campus. People gave their opinion on the matter, in which afterwards men were paired against women in order to see which gender would win.

Judging by the data taken from 10 different matches, as well as a brief survey on the matter, the answer was rather clear.

Out of nearly 30 students surveyed, 57 percent said that strategy is part of the game.

“You can watch a player’s body position and tell,” said Alyssa Knight, an educations major, as she related her strategy on the game.

According to Dalton Bridges, an occupational therapist major, the number of games can also help with deciding strategy.

“It depends on how many games you play,” Bridges stated, “because after so many games you can see what pattern they are using.”

As far as gender was concerned, while a few students felt that it does make a difference in the game, nearly 79 percent of those surveyed felt differently.

“I don’t think either [gender] are better at it by nature,” said Sam Bishop, a physical science major, whose opinion seemed to coincide with the majority of those surveyed.

However, with the students’ opinion being said, what did the research of the 10 matches show?

With 10 pairs of men and women competing in best two-out-of-three matches, the results told if gender truly matters in the game. The answer in the end was not surprising, showing a true tie at 5-5 and proving the majority belief. While the answer could vary with more detailed research, the results do seem logical: gender is not a deciding factor.

Despite this research, the majority of people state that they often play this game merely to decide on various things, such as, “Where are we going to eat?” or “Who will do what chore?” Such menial questions are often left for the game to decide.

“I think we’ve lost the ability to critical think,” said Gandy, discussing his view on society’s use of the game, “so we would rather let a third party make the decisions for us, even if it is a game.”