Truth or dare?
Players2 or more
Playing timeNone
Chancelow
Skillscreativity,
embarrassment tolerance

Truth or dare? is a mostly verbal party game requiring two or more players. Players are given the choice between answering a question truthfully, or performing a "dare". The game is particularly popular among adolescents and children, and is sometimes used as a forfeit when gambling.

History

A game of "Questions and Commands" depicted by James Gillray, 1788

The game has existed for hundreds of years, with at least one variant, "testions and commands", being attested as early as 1712:

A Christmas game, in which the commander bids their subjects to answer a question which is asked. If the subject refuses or fails to satisfy the commander, they must pay a forfeit [follow a command] or have their face smutted [dirtied].[1]

Truth or dare may ultimately derive from command games such as the ancient Greek basilinda (in Greek: βασιλίνδα). This game is described by Julius Pollux: "in which we are told a king, elected by lot, commanded his comrades what they should perform".[2]

See also

References

  1. ↑ "E. Cobham Brewer, Dictionary of Phrase and Fable, 1898". Archived from the original on 2013-06-03. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
  2. ↑ "Joseph Strutt, Sports and Pastimes of the People of England, 1903". Archived from the original on 2017-07-14. Retrieved 2013-01-20.
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