Marbles is class of children's games played with glass or agate orbs generally approximately half an inch (1cm) across.

One version consists of drawing a circle in the sand with a stick, and adhering to informally agreed upon rules, players will take turns at knocking marbles out of the circle with their own marbles.

A larger-scale game of marbles might involve taking turns to try and hit the opponent's marble to win. In this game, a useful strategy is to throw a marble such that it lands in a protected or difficult-to-reach location, should it miss.

As with many children's games, new rules are invented all the time, and each group is likely to have its own version of the game, often customised to the particular environment they play in

While adults rarely play marbles themselves, many engage in marble collecting, both for nostalgia and for the aesthetic appeal of the brightly colored little spheres, some of which border on art glass in quality.

Terms

• "Keepsies" is a variation of any game, where players win the marbles used in the game by their opponent.
• A "marble" is the small hard sphere used for playing the game and for decoration and collection, usually made of glass or plastic
• Marbles named according to their size, e.g. Queenie?
• Marbles named according to their colour

History

Originally marbles were constructed from clay or marble, hence their name.

External links

• Streetplay's pages on marbles (http://www.streetplay.com/thegames/marbles/)
• Introduction to marbles, with terms and rules (http://www.kidsturncentral.com/topics/sports/marbles.htm)
• Marble Museum (http://www.marblemuseum.org/)

Marbles can also refer to marble sculpture, for example the Elgin_Marbles

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