[ad_1] Rock-paper-scissors (RPS) is a game enjoyed by people of all ages and nationalities around the world. Despite its simplicity, the game has been the subject of competitive leagues, world championships, and even academic studies. To track the performance of the game’s players, an organization known as the World RPS Society (WRPS) has been publishing global rankings since 2002 based on tournament results, with the latest rankings highlighting some surprising regional dominance.

The current top 10 features players from several different countries, including Canada, Malaysia, the United States, and Japan. What’s interesting, however, is the strong representation of Australian players, who occupy half of the top 10 spots. The top-ranked player is none other than Australia’s Jack Guignap, with a win-loss record of 31-1 in RPS tournaments. Fellow Aussies Ando Shirley, Simon Shakour, and Kyle Cornforth, are all in the top five, with Cornforth being the winner of the 2019 RPS World Championships in Toronto.

Australia’s RPS dominance is unexpected, to say the least. The country has only hosted two RPS world championships in its history, and the game is not typically associated with being a national pastime. To many, the success of Australian players in recent years is indicative of a wider trend in the country’s flourishing competitive gaming scene, which includes esports such as League of Legends and Fortnite, as well as traditional games like chess.

While Australia’s success in RPS is a surprise, it is not entirely unprecedented. In 2008, the country’s Daniel “RPS Dan” Tepes won the RPS World Championship, and he remains a fixture in the top 50 rankings today. Moreover, the country has built a supportive RPS community, with tournaments held throughout the year in various cities like Brisbane, Sydney, and Melbourne.

In the wider context of the WRPS rankings, the dominance of Australian players adds to a growing list of countries that have emerged as RPS powerhouses in recent years. In the early 2000s, Japan and the United States were the dominant nations, but since then, countries like Malaysia and Canada have also become key players in the game. These countries have invested heavily in their RPS communities and produced talented players who have competed successfully at the world championship level.

As the RPS community continues to evolve and expand, it is always exciting to see new regions popping up and excelling. Australia’s sudden rise to dominance in the rankings is a testament to the game’s universal appeal and the ability of players from all over the world to compete at the highest level. With more tournaments and talented players emerging every year, we can only expect the RPS rankings to become even more diversified in the future.[ad_2]