Playing gateball: A game of the Japanese elderly
1992; Elsevier BV; Volume: 6; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.1016/0890-4065(92)90025-2
ISSN1879-193X
Autores Tópico(s)Gambling Behavior and Treatments
ResumoAbstract Gateball, which was developed after World War II, is a team sport explained as a combination of golf and croquet. It is now very popular, especially among elderly Japanese. To its followers, the appeal rests on it being a game of strategy which provides exercise for the mind as well as for the body. Analysis, based on three months of participant observation of a gateball group in the Osaka area, describes the game, the players, and the interaction that occurs daily. For this group, which plays four hours a day six days a week, as important as the physical and mental aspects of the game are the social aspects, especially the midmorning break. In a country with high life expectancy and relatively early retirement, gateball is a way for seniors to continue their lifelong pattern of group participation.
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