Technology has developed rapidly. Various activities could be carried out easily due to the technology. Additionally, the technology affects children’s games. 1990s generation might be familiar with traditional games as hide and seek, jumping rope, ‘gobak sodor’, and ‘bola bekel’. Nevertheless, the games have been substituted by digital games based technology.
The circumstance inspired students of Communication Sciences of Universitas Muhammadiyah Yogyakarta (UMY) to conduct a program of traditional game training at SD Muhammadiyah Karangturi, Ngipik, Banguntapan, Bantul. The program was a community service program of Directorate General of Higher Education (DIKTI). It was initiated by Affan Arsyad acting as the chief and Arman Maulana, Tyas Titi Kinapti, and Rizqi Melana Putri acting as the members.
In an interview on Tuesday (19/5) at a room of Communication Sciences, Affan stated that traditional games, in fact, have certain characteristics bringing positive impacts on children’s development. Comparing to modern games on gadgets, traditional games tend to utilize equipments and facilities in surroundings and they do not need to buy so that the traditional games would enhance children’s imagination and creativity. “It is different from games on gadgets that drive children stand apart, introvert, indifferent, and irresponsible. We are concerned and we thought to provide training of traditional game to the children,” he told.
Moreover, a number of games can be made from plants, lands, roof tiles, stones, or sand, and others which could be used for games of war, ‘engklek’, ‘boy-boyan, and others. As the result, there is no other reason not to preserve cultures of playing traditional games since the tools could easily be found.
In the traditional games, there are several essential points, Affan continued, so that the games should be maintained. “The traditional games which have nearly been extinct, indeed, possess universal values as honesty, tolerance, discipline, hard work, creativity, nationalism, appreciation, being communicative, caring of environment and social, and responsibility,” he mentioned.
Affan inserted that the workshop and training of traditional games for children gained adequately good response from pupils and teachers at the elementary school. “Alhamdulillah, the program attained gain positive responses from pupils and teachers at the elementary school,” he added. In the end of the workshop, they would write a guideline book of the use and kinds of traditional games in Indonesia. It is expected that, through the book, children would recognize more and would not overlook the traditional games.
