Laos

A land-locked country in southeast Asia with a small population, Laos has received heavy cultural influences from Thailand and China, and less so from its other neighbors, Cambodia and Vietnam. The elite in precolonial Laos were dominated by the royal families and the ethnic Chinese, most of whom maintained their power after France made Laos a protectorate in 1907. As a result, many of the games played among the elite tended to include Chinese Chess, Mahjong, and other traditional Chinese pursuits. In villages, and also in the towns—there were no real cities until the 20th century—children played Hide-and-Seek, and played with kites and marbles, while the adults often played musical instruments or took part in forms of gambling involving cockfights or dice. The community would participate in dancing to mark phases in the agricultural year. There are also games involving popping seeds from fruits, and a game called Ga To involving a ball made from tightly-woven rattan that must be kept in the air for as long as possible. This game has developed, with Thai influence, into Takraw, which is a sport recognized by the Southeast Asia Games. Canoe racing on the Mekong also has attracted many people to participate and to watch.

The arrival of the French brought soccer, Chess, and boules to Vientiane, which became the administrative capital for Laos, and soccer quickly spread around the country. There were never many French in the country, but with the Laotian elite often going to schools in Vietnam, where they were taught in French, there was a ready market among the wealthier people for such games. Soccer quickly became popular with teenagers and young men. Playing with dolls, balls, toy boats, and cars has also been common for many years, as has the card game Phuy-tong. Katay Don Sasorith, prime minister of Laos from 1954 to 1955, wrote about the game in 1931.

Independence in 1953 led to an increase in the school population, and it was not long before new games were taught to children. However, in the late 1950s, Laos was involved in a war that essentially only ended in 1975. This conflict saw the destruction of much of the countryside, many of the rural people heading to the towns, and in this new urban society, greater cultural influence from the United States, leading to the importation of U.S.-made games and toys to compete with French dolls and toys. Toys were also fashioned from war wreckage, such as shell casings. Water pistols, both simple and sophisticated, are sold during the water festival each year in April.

The Communist takeover in 1975 led to an influx of some Russian advisers and technicians, as well as additional Vietnamese influence. These advisers brought with them European-style Chess, which had previously only been played by the elite. Greater prosperity from [Page 354]the mid-1990s led to an influx of tourism and a more open lifestyle that led to the building of bowling alleys, and the onset of elaborate Wargames, which took place in the Americas and Western Europe, with complicated rules. With many Laotian exiles returning to their country from the United States, France, Australia, and elsewhere, together with more foreign expatriates working or settling in the country, it is likely that Western-style games will become even more popular in Laos.

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