View source for Marco Polo (game)

{{short description|Game of tag played in a swimming pool}}
{{Use mdy dates |date=July 2025}}
{{Infobox game
| name = Marco Polo
| subject_name = Marco Polo game
| players = 2 or more
| setup_time = Minimal
| playing_time = No limit
| random_chance = Low
| skills = [[Swimming]], [[Sound localization#Sound localization by the human auditory system|sound localization]]
}}

'''Marco Polo''' ({{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-marco polo.ogg|ˈ|m|ɑr|k|oʊ|_|ˈ|p|oʊ|l|oʊ}}) is a form of [[Tag (game)|tag]] played in a [[swimming pool]].<ref name=play>{{cite encyclopedia |last=Bittarello |first=Maria Beatrice |date=2009 |title=Marco Polo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eL91AwAAQBAJ&pg=PA376 |editor-last=Carlisle |editor-first=Rodney P. |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society |volume=1 |location=Los Angeles |publisher=Sage|page=376 |isbn=978-1-4129-6670-2 |access-date=28 June 2020}}</ref>

==Rules==
One player is chosen as "it". That player, with closed eyes, tries to find and tag any one of the other players, relying on hearing to find someone to tag. The player who is "it" shouts "Marco" and the other players must all respond by shouting "Polo", which the "it" player uses to try to find them. If a player is tagged, then that player becomes "it".<ref>{{cite journal |last=Jeffrey |first=Phillip |author2=Mike Blackstock |author3=Matthias Finke |author4=Anthony Tang |author5=Rodger Lea |author6=Meghan Deutscher |author7=Kento Miyaoku  |title=Chasing the Fugitive on Campus: Designing a Location-based Game for Collaborative Play |journal=Proceedings of CGSA 2006 Symposium |publisher=Canadian Games Study Association |url=http://journals.sfu.ca/loading/index.php/loading/article/viewFile/12/15}}</ref> If "it" suspects that a player has left the pool, they can shout, "fish out of water!" and the player who is out of the pool becomes the new "it".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://entertainment.howstuffworks.com/backyard-fun-games/10-swimming-pool-games1.htm|title=10 Classic Swimming Pool Games|work=How Stuff Works| date=26 July 2013|access-date=25 June 2019}}</ref>

==History==
The game shares its name with the 13th-century Italian trader and [[explorer]] [[Marco Polo]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://virtualology.com/hallofexplorers/marco--polo.com/|title=Marco Polo|website=Virtualology|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=December 2, 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241202111931/http://virtualology.com/hallofexplorers/marco--polo.com/|url-status=dead}}</ref>

There does not appear to be any real connection between the game and the explorer of the same name.<ref name="wisegeek.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-the-game-marco-polo.htm|title=What Is the Game Marco Polo?|work=wiseGEEK|access-date=10 September 2014}}</ref> According to one whimsical explanation, "legend has it that the famed explorer didn't have a clue as to where he was going", this being reflected in the "it" player's behavior.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.retroland.com/marco-polo/|title=Marco Polo|work=Retroland|access-date=10 September 2014|archive-date=September 13, 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160913105748/http://www.retroland.com/marco-polo|url-status=dead}}</ref> Although [[water polo]] is another popular pool game, the name "Marco Polo" is unrelated.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.word-detective.com/2010/09/polo-marco-polo/|title=Polo / Marco Polo|publisher=Word Detective|date=September 15, 2010|access-date=August 30, 2016}}</ref>

The game is thematically similar to [[blind man's buff]], an essentially identical game played on dry land that dates back to at least the 16th century.<ref name="wisegeek.com"/> Marco Polo was known as a water game in America by the 1960s. Between 1965 and 1970, some respondents to a ''[[Dictionary of American Regional English]]'' survey, when asked to name a game played in the water, responded with "Marco Polo".<ref name="wisc">[http://dare.wisc.edu/survey-results/1965-1970/childrens-games/ee28 "Games Played in the Water"]. ''Dictionary of American Regional English'' Survey.</ref> By the mid-1970s, the game had spread and become very popular in swimming pools frequented by expatriates living in Hong Kong.

In modern times, Marco Polo is played worldwide. There are many regional variants of the game,<ref name="wisegeek.com"/> with names such as mermaid on the rocks and alligator.<ref name=play/> The term "Marco Polo game" is sometimes used to describe an online game where a similar call-and-response system of gameplay is adopted.<ref name=play/>

==Analysis==
Marco Polo is an "easily modifiable game", and is based on the notion of [[call-and-response]].<ref name=play/> Marco Polo is a location-based game because players are confined to a set space and because players must locate each other using auditory clues.<ref name=play/> ''Encyclopedia of Play in Today's Society'' argues "there is bipolarity in the reversal of roles&nbsp;... there are repeated actions, a routine to be repeated, rules to be observed, and verbal signs to be used".<ref name=play/> Playing this game can allow children to experiment with different social roles; they may learn what it means to be an outcast in the role of "it" (isolated, confined to a space, and unable to see others).<ref name=play/> According to the Nevada Regional Medical Center, "Marco Polo is not only fun; it can be a good workout. It also puts less stress on your bones and joints because the water makes your body float."<ref>{{cite news |author=Nevada Regional Medical Center |title=It Takes One to Tango: Some Tips to Keep Fit |url=https://news.google.com/newspapers?nid=1908&dat=20030126&id=le4hAAAAIBAJ&pg=1251,1282885 |date=26 January 2003 |work=[[The Nevada Daily Mail|Sunday Nevada Herald]] |page=8A |access-date=28 June 2020 |via=[[Google News Archive]]}}</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

{{Outdoor games}}

[[Category:Hide-and-seek variants]]
[[Category:Swimming pool games]]
[[Category:Tag variants]]
[[Category:Cultural depictions of Marco Polo]]
[[Category:Children's games]]