Is Rock Paper Scissors Fair?

Are there any Restrictions on who can play Rock Paper Scissors?

Rock-Paper-Scissors is one of the oldest hand games still played today. Hand Games have a long history incivilization dating back to the Chinese Han Dynasty (206 BC – 220 AD). People play Rock Paper Scissors to settle arguments; anyone who wins is accepted to be the winner of the argument or help decide what choices to make between two available options.

There are no restrictions to that restrict who can play Rock Paper Scissors (RPS). There is no age limit, no gender limitation, and no racial discrimination as to who can play. Rock Paper Scissors is for everybody as far as you are mentally sound and can reason then Rock Paper Scissors is for you.

In fact, Rock Paper Scissors is a game that builds one’s mental reasoning; it helps you think fast and make the right decisions even in real life circumstances. Playing Rock Paper Scissors is a way of unwinding and exercising the brain at the same time.

Have you ever wondered who can play Rock Paper Scissors? The answer would be Students, Adults, Professionals, Men, Women, Boys and Girls. It will not be out of place to say EVERYBODY can play. It is all about studying the psychology of your opponent and predicting what they will do next and how they react to what you do so it is an interesting game that can help the brain. It is all about thinking, strategizing, decision making among others.

Is Rock Paper Scissors Fair?

When it comes to the area of being fair, it depends on your perspective or definition of fair, because absolute fairness could only be achieved by an entirely arbitrary mechanic, which make for a lousy game. However, in my opinion, RPS is likely the fairest game around for the following five reasons:

  • It requires no equipment other than a single functioning hand and therefore has no bias towards the wealthy who can afford better equipment or training.
  • Performance in the game is not improved by drugs, which evens the playing field between players who choose to use a performance-enhancing drug and those who choose to play “clean”.
  • The game does not favor any specific body type, age or gender. Strength and speed are not of any real significance.
  • The game is so simple to grasp that all but the most significantly mentally-challenged players can understand the rules completely.
  • The game has no ambiguity (Rock always beats scissors, etc.) nor is the game judged by any third-party (like many Olympic sports), which means that any honest player or observer will always concur on the outcome.

Therefore, the only real differentiator between the players is how well they choose, so it favors those who can read their opponents, mask their intentions and think strategically, but isn’t that the essence of a game? Of course it is, and i am yet to see a game that is not all about trying to out-smart your opponent. If there is any then I will agree that Rock Paper Scissors is not fair. Now you should know what is Rock Paper Scissors.

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