- Play fighting
In humans, play fighting (sometimes called roughhousing) is an activity in which two or more people act as though they are in
combat , but without actually meaning to harm their partners, nor dealing sufficient bodily harm to make thegame unenjoyable. The players may or may not choose to involve actual physical contact.Nonconsensual physical contact of this nature, if severe enough, could be considered
assault .Outline
Generally, play fighting games are highly sporadic and last only as long as interest and time allow. It is also worth noting that the older the participants, the more likely that physical touch is involved. Typically, this behavior stops almost completely during
middle age .Fact|date=February 2007Humans seem to engage in this activity merely for
amusement , as it is generally not serious enough to provide usable combattraining . When play fighting is used for that specific purpose, it may be calledsparring .Fact|date=February 2007The highest amount of play fighting occurs in young male children. Probably due to cultural reasons, females seem to be discouraged from engaging in this activity, although it does happen. Teenaged males also often employ a version of play fighting; however, this is generally more serious and involves greater risk, having transformed from a harmless game into a method of proving superiority (attempting to show alpha male status). There have been many documented cases of young men accidentally killed whilst play fighting, generally by their partners but sometimes by environmental accidents.Fact|date=February 2007
Young couples have been known to engage in a sort of intimate, almost sexual type of play fighting, where grapples and punches are replaced by
tickling and soft touches. This is distinguished from regular lovemaking by one of the partners playfully trying to avoid, avert, or escape what his or her partner is doing to them, though it could be a prelude to actual sexual activity.Fact|date=February 2007Similar behavior is visible in other animals, notably
cats anddogs .See also
*
Play (activity)
*Slapboxing
*Jousting
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