Marbles is a children’s game played with small balls, usually made of glass. Each ball is called a marble. There are many types of marbles games. Most games are played outdoors on a level surface. Marbles can be an organized sport, but it is most popular as a form of recreation.
Players shoot marbles by balancing a large marble called a shooter between the thumb and index finger. With the thumb, the player flicks the shooter toward one or more smaller marbles, called object marbles. Usually, players must knuckle down when shooting–that is, they must keep at least one knuckle on the ground as they shoot.
Marbles of various materials and colors have their own slang names. For example, glass marbles with colored swirls are known as glassies. Steel ball bearings used as marbles are called steelies.
In the United States, a game called ringer is played in tournaments. In ringer, players try to knock object marbles out of a circle 10 feet (3 meters) in diameter. Before play begins, a referee arranges 13 object marbles into the shape of a cross in the center of the circle. Players start their turns by knuckling down outside the circle. From there, a player must knock at least one object marble from the circle, and the player’s shooter must remain in the circle. If successful, a player continues to shoot from wherever the shooter comes to rest. The turn ends when a player fails to knock out a marble or the shooter leaves the circle. The next player then takes a turn. The first player to knock seven object marbles out of the circle wins the game.
Marbles made of baked clay have been found in prehistoric caves. The ancient Romans played games of marbles 2,000 years ago.
