DO YOU still remember the games you played as a child?

You must have spent sunny afternoons playing with your friends, choosing among luksong baka, tumbang preso, langit lupa, patintero, piko, and many other beloved Filipino street games.

Now, however, it seems that you rarely ever see kids playing these games anymore. Instead, they opt for a tablet over throwing slippers at cans, and prefer YouTube and Roblox over running after their friends on the streets.

Yes, I know I sound like I’m a million years old, but one can’t help but ask: are Filipinos – the younger generations, in particular – still taking part in these classic games? And if not, why?

Changing times

When 21-year-old Ashley Ignacio was younger, she would often play langit lupa, Chinese garter, and moro-moro with her friends.

While she hated running, she had fun playing with other kids, laughing with them, and excitedly waiting for the announcement of the winner (even though she seldom ever won.)

Ignacio has noticed that nowadays, she rarely sees children partaking in these games.

“Some [kids] still do; when we walk around Intramuros, we see kids playing mataya-taya and tumbang preso but this is in the hidden eskinitas of Intramuros,” she shared.

“In the mainstream standards of entertainment, it’s mostly kids who play digital games that I see.”

She added that as a kid, she preferred digital games such as dress-up games or “Fireboy and Watergirl” because she wasn’t playing to win. Here, she could just entertain herself.

21-year-old Regine Dayao, who often played games like piko, tagu-taguan, langit lupa, patintero, doctor quack quack, agawan base, and tumbang preso when she was younger, would also go on to prefer digital games when these grew popular.

Goodbye to these Filipino street games; hello to the likes of “Farmville,” “The Sims,” and “Pet Society.”

Now, though, it’s the likes of “Roblox,” “Valorant,” “DOTA,” and “League of Legends” that take the reigns.

“Kids these days rarely play these games; those who do are usually in the provinces,” said Dayao.

Like Ignacio, she agreed that children now prefer to use gadgets for games and for general entertainment.

Ignacio believed that with the advancement of technology, kids have been introduced to a more “convenient” way of playing –where you no longer need to stand up and run around, nor did you have to stop eating or worry about what time you’d get home.

With online games, you can interact with your friends from the comfort of your own home, without getting tired or sweaty.

When she was a child, 22-year-old Rose Cath Ogrimen preferred street games over physical ones. She felt that it was those games that made her childhood feel special, teaching her to be sporty as well as friendly with others.

Even then, however, the last time Ogrimen played these games was when she was in the sixth grade – nine whole years ago.

Nowadays, everyone has their own device: whether it’s a cellphone, tablet, computer, or iPad, there’s no escape.

All interviewees agreed that technology is the leading cause of why you rarely ever see anyone playing these games anymore.

Stunted emotional growth

Admittedly, it’s easier to watch over a child who’s playing on their tablet instead of having to run after them as they play outside.

There are benefits to preferring digital games to physical ones. There are several educational applications and videos to peruse, for example, and it does make connecting with friends easier.

The problem, however, is when using a tablet or phone or whatever else is the only thing your kid is doing.

A study from News Medical has shown that giving children digital devices to control their emotional responses has become increasingly common.

If your child is misbehaving, crying, or throwing a tantrum, one of the easiest ways to get them to calm down is to prop up a tablet in front of them and start playing an episode of “Peppa Pig.”

According to Dr. Veronika Konok, doing this to get a child to calm down or to stop a tantrum may lead to said child being unable to regulate their emotions in the future. This may lead to problems with emotional regulation and anger management.

Regulating your child’s screen time and giving them time to play outside is, thus, something your child needs for development.

Keeping our culture alive

While the mental and physical health of a child is important, this isn’t just about device regulation.

These beloved street games that many have grown up playing – that we have made friends and fond memories over – are dying. If these are forgotten, a large part of Filipino culture would disappear along with it.

More than having fun and playing with friends, keeping these games alive is, in turn, keeping alive Filipino culture.

If you have the time, why not ask your children – your sisters, your brothers, even your friends – to play a quick game of luksong baka with you? If you don’t have the space to move, why not sit down and play nanay tatay? The games to choose from, after all, are endless.

With the amount of influence other countries have on us now, on the clothes we wear, the songs we sing and the shows we watch, holding on to what little we have is of the utmost importance.