HELP! I am under attack. Well, thats a touch dramatic, but…
The kindy kids have suddenly started playing this card game at school. (They used to just get a buzz out of spinning toys!) Anyhoo, the problem is that they dont have any language to accompany this card game, and so revert to chinese. The game involves a series of cards with dragons, monsters etc on them. Each monster appears to have some stars which may represent power. But some cards have no stars. They play this game, and trade cards in a flurry of arguing and chinese. The back of the cards are yellowy, with a black vortex type thing drawn around the edges. Do you know this game? How the hell is it played? I got to get them using english when they play it.
Cheers.
They’re called “Yoshi-wan” cards. I’ve asked the kids to explain to me in Chinese how to play, but they can’t seem to get it straight themselves. From what I gather, the whole point of the game is to spend as much time as possible arguing over whose card is stronger until one player relents and gives up his card in defeat. Sorry I can’t help you very much, but do agree that they are quite the phenomenon as of late.
Cheers,
CK
CitizenK, Thank you very much for your efforts. I think you have seen what I have seen, a disorderly game involving arguing. I think I will get them to use words like stronger etc, and then they came play their stupid game to their hearts content. Thanks for your help, i was beginning to wish i’d posted it on the open forum, which seems to get more traffic.
patterson
The Game is called Yu Gui Oh. It’s Japanese, kinda like Magic the Gathering.
Here’s an english web site, hope it helps.
upperdeckentertainment.com/yugioh/
Grasshopper, thanks for the link 
It might take me the weekend to read everything on the site and figure it out, but it’s all there.
Thanks for the 411.
In gratitude,
CK
They love this game, from about the age of 4 to 22. I have often wished I could think of some simple game using the cards that I could use to teach English. The real game is far too complicated. The other problem is that some of the cards are very valuable - playing a game in class might result in students coming to blows. If anyone knows of some English-teaching game you could use these cards for, please post it.
Bababa,
It may be unrelated, but noticing my students enthusiasm for card games, I picked up a bunch of different sets for games like Crazy Eights, Go Fish, Old Maid, etc. The good thing about them is that they are all picture cards with different images, ie: animals, occupations, insects, sports, flowers, etc. Never thought I’d have students know what a daffodil or a praying mantis was. These cards have proven very useful for expanding vocabulary, as well as teaching the students how to follow rules and how to interact when playing a game. There’s an American company called School Zone that produces a few good sets and they are available at stores like Caves and the Lai Lai Book Shop. You may want to look into it.
Good luck,
CK
A lot of kids play their own very simplified rules for these games.
I usually call them ‘collectable card games’ when discussing them with higher level kids or just ‘cards’ with beginners.
Brian