Games with characters

We are playing games with fonts in DGC 1180 these days and this reminds of an old game I used to play when I was little with my grandparents.

This is a game to be played with Chinese characters. There is a children's song along with this game. The rule is simple. You just draw what the lyrics tell you to do. And when the song is over, a picture of an old man will appear in front of you.

The steps in the song are like this:

1. There was an old man whose family name is DING.

Then you can have the nose of this old man. (The Chinese character of DING is: 丁)

2. He got two cute grandsons.

The grandsons are fat and cute so the eyes of the old man can be replaced by two circles resembling the two grandsons.

3. He didn't eat for three days.

Here three lines appear on his forehead like three wrinkles.

4. And he was hungry and turned around.

The round head comes.

5. He bought three scallions.

His three hairs.

6. He used 3.3 dollars.

3 is just like the shape of his ears.

7. He bought a piece of cake for four dollars.

The Chinese character of four:四 is his mouth.

8. He bought a big melon.

It's his body!

9. He used 6.6 dollars.

Make his has the same way like ears.

10. He also bought some little cakes.

These are his buttons on his clothes.

11. He bought these for 9.9 dollars.

Also working in the same way as ears.

Then a picture of an old man appears as long as you follow the simple instructions!

This game is classic at least in my hometown and now when I am approaching to design, these old things just remind me of the fact that design is not only designed by professional designers. Everyone can design and there is really nothing new under the sun.

Hope you enjoy this little game.

The Chinese version of the song is listed below.

从前有个丁老头（眉毛和鼻子），

他有两个乖孙儿（眼睛），

三天不吃饭（额头皱纹），

饿得团团转（脑袋），

买了三根葱（头发），

用了三毛三（耳朵），

买个小方饼花了四毛钱（嘴），

买个大冬瓜（身子），

用了六毛六（两只手），

买串油果子（纽扣），

用了九毛九（两只脚）。