4 Square is Just a Game

By Aniya K.

After a long intense studying period, I’m sure you would like to eat, talk to your friends and relax during break and lunch, right? That is not the case when it comes to the middle school students in ISM that sprint down to the courtyard and race to their positions first to play 4 square. First come, first serve. 4 Square is a popular game enjoyed and played by many middle schoolers around the world, spread through grades 5 to 8 at ISM. This game is extremely fun to play, although there is one main issue; it is too violent.

Photo captured of the many middle school students rushing down to play 4 square in the Courtyard on a cloudy Monday afternoon, after school is out.

To give you an understanding of this game, there are 4 squares in this game, hence the name, which 4 players each own. Each square has its own title given to the player. Peasant, Knight, Queen, and King. The objective of the game is to get your opponents out while making your way up to the King’s position, the head of the game, and stay there until people stop playing. The King can change the rules and make the players play the way of their design until one of the three gets them out. To get anybody out and move up in your ranks you have to hit the ball into someone’s square in such a way that your opponent will miss, or either hit it back accidentally bouncing it in their square. It takes a minimum of 3 people to get out before you reach the King, depending on which position you are in, and each round takes around 40 seconds depending on a player’s skill level and abilities.

It has been observed that the majority of the 4 square players today are older grade 7s and 8s, which is confusing since by the time the students reach the age of 13 and 14 years old, they grow out of it. This seems to be because many Grade 8s had missed their childhood memories of playing the game during the pandemic and online school. There have been so many variations to the game, the original version being played by so many 8th graders, of one touch, one bounce having been lost in the mix, aggravating most students. “I remember when 4 Square used to be a cultured respectable game. The game used to be skills-based where there were no steals and no opportunities for violence that there is today”, said a student in 8th grade.

I believe that the violence in 4 Square is completely unnecessary. The game is highly aggressive, people get hurt not only by tripping but getting injured by fellow students. They scratch and pounce on each other inflicting pain, therefore leading them to the point of suspension. Keep in mind this is all for a game played by children. What's the point of all this aggression? Playing the game would be so much more enjoyable if played correctly and with the right set of values – even I have played it and had fun. Otherwise, there is no point in wasting your free time during the school day isolated in the office doing nothing or even even more school work under the watchful eye of the principal, when you could be playing outside the right way. The scarification of free time is not needed for just getting mad over a game and you should be able to have fun in your time out of education, the break that we all need.

Another vital issue with this game is the risk that comes with inclusivity. Including a lot of students may seem like a good thing as ISM is all about inclusivity, but the problem with this is the amount of violence, toxicity, and injuries that the older students may inflict upon the younger through brute force or the younger inflicting on the older in some instances. Leonard A., an 8th-grade student was physically attacked by a 5th-grader after getting him out with a winning shot. The student screamed at Leonard A. and jumped on him scratching and drawing blood from his neck. The older students in grades 7 and above often play with the younger students, hence including them in the games, despite their size, strength, and capability which could be a good thing if there was less tension and anger-driven after losing a single position.

Photo captured of grade 8 student, Leonard A. playing 4 square with other students in younger grades on a cloudy Monday afternoon in the MS Courtyard.

I understand getting riled up about a sport and caring whether you win or lose is what makes the game fun. The anger drives the motivation needed to win and make it to the King’s position in this instance. You often get upset and start to resort to letting out your anger in the form of violence. They enjoy the aggression, and the passion and say that's what makes the game fun in general. Getting riled up and resorting the violence is due to the player having a sense of jealousy after seeing that their opponent has gotten the satisfaction and achievement that they so desperately wanted.

I have seen the 4 square gang bolt down the stairs as soon as they are let out to break, pushing anyone in sight, trying to get to the courtyard first and claim their positions. Again, first come, first serve. When our friend group joined the 4-Square gang and played with them for a month during break times. I saw how emotional and frustrated people get when they lose a match or get kicked from being the king/ruler who gets to decide what rules are gonna be played in your round. It makes you feel in control of the game. I have firsthand experienced this and seen the amount of pressure the King has to stay in their spot. It feels like they are putting everything on the line. This is their life or death.

I feel that the simple solution to this is understanding that 4 square is for fun and that there is no need to build your whole life on this. This game is supposed to be fun and played for enjoyment. Students should be competitive to the extent where they push each other to be better, the same with any sport, and teach each other how to play and what to do in the future. The players need to build a community where they get stronger as a whole. They need to understand the rules before they play, how to play, and how to be a good sport after a loss. After all, it is just a game.