Description
The game of Loter*a is a Mexican card game similar to American Bingo. The game is played with 10 boards and snakes and ladders on the back. The game is won by filling in the board or tabla in a predefined pattern. The announcer in the game uses humor and references to contemporary events and politics to add to the world play involved in the game.
The game of Loter*a is played similarly to American Bingo. In American Bingo, an announcer calls out the selected letters and numbers, such as "B-4? and the players mark their game boards accordingly. In Loter*a, the announcer gives short poem or familiar phrase (often improvised) referring to the image on the card (e.g. "me lo das o me lo quitas" for the image of El Melon, "Verde blanco y colorado" for the image of La Bandera, "Camaron que se duerme, se lo lleva la corriente" for the image of El Camaron). Each player uses a chip -often a bean-to mark the corresponding spot on his or her tabla. In either game, the first player to fill the game board or tabla in a predefined pattern will shout "Loter*a!" to win the game and receive a prize. The audacity of the announcer gives the opportunity to appreciate its cleverness and style as to how he may approach the announcing. That style depends on the social context of where the game is being played. He may use "white" humor at a bazaar or a church and if he is in an adult setting he may play with more suggestive and irreverent. Since the origin of the game, satire and references to contemporary events and politics are part of the world play involved.
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