It’s the age-old game that everyone knows — paper beats rock, rock beats scissors, and scissors beats paper.
The simple game is usually played for fun, sometimes for conflict resolution and occasionally for a big cash prize of $10,000.
That was the case at the American Dream mall in East Rutherford, New Jersey, where 384 contestants squared off this month in a three-day rock, paper, scissors competition for their shot at the big check, sponsored by the New Jersey Lottery.
“Somebody’s gonna walk away with $10,000 for playing rock, paper, scissors. Anything can happen in Jersey,” said Howard Freeman, the event’s executive director.
According to the World Rock Paper Scissors Association, the game of rock, paper, scissors dates to ancient China in the year 206 BCE, when the symbols were a frog, a snake and a centipede (frog beats centipede, centipede beats snake, and snake beats frog).
By the 17th century, the game had evolved in Japan to include a fox, a village head and a hunter. It took until the early 1900s to hit the global mainstream as rock, paper and scissors.
The Rock Paper Scissors Throwdown was watched not only by shoppers passing by, but also by cheer squads with signs like “get that paper.”
To maintain the integrity of the game, the matches were closely watched by referees who halted them because of poor timing or form.
“Sometimes when you start the throw, you can be off pace,” said Mike Internoscia, a rock, paper, scissors official who returned to the competition for his second year as a referee. “Someone can come in before the other person. So that’s why we also make sure they stay together.”
Winners from the first rounds, who played during the first two days, said they had different approaches to the game.
“I read everybody does rock first,” said Michelle Womack, who was defeated in the fifth round by — of all people— her own son, Mike Womack.
Mark Lyall, who is an actual psychologist by trade, tried to psych his out competition out by donning a luchador mask and a T-shirt with the saying “don’t throw rock.”
“What I found was that statistically, most people throw rock, then people will throw paper," Lyall said. He was knocked out in the second round.
But the most common strategy among the hundreds of players? No strategy at all.
“I don’t think about it, dumb down everything and just go with instinct,” said Gary Wong, who played with Adeline, his daughter, by his side.
Emma De Luca, who came in third, also winged it.
“Whatever my hand chose, it chose. I’m Italian, so they talk,” she said.
Playing with no set strategy proved effective for the champion, Julio Rivera, a 29-year-old veterinary assistant, who walked away with the coveted $10,000 check.
“If you prepare too much, everyone can find out your plan,” said Rivera, who said he simply trusted his gut.
Rivera took the competition seriously — he was often seen on the sidelines breathing deeply with his head in his hands to shake off his nerves between matches.
“I was nervous the entire time. My blood was pumping,” he said. “The best of the best knew they could have won. That’s why I was nervous.”
When it was all said and done, Rivera defeated his final opponent, Kosty Yablon, four points to two in a best-of-seven match.
“I was just trying to read him,” Yablon said. “I realized it can’t be instinct in the last [game] — it has to be a little more strategy.”
Yablon still walked away with $5,500 for his second-place finish.
Hundreds of competitors went home without any prizes but with hearts full of youthful joy — thanks to a schoolyard game that’s over 2,000 years old.
“It’s a game that kids enjoy, and so can adults. All right, you all can be great,” said Corey Ellis, who was knocked out in the second round wearing shades and a full track suit. “Just focus on forearm grips and commitment.”
