Posted ByArbiter on April 17, 2001 at 20:27:34:
In Reply to: I Like To Play RPS in the NUDE!!!! posted byGreg Eschinger on April 17, 2001 at 16:58:44:
: I would love it if I could play RPS while not wearing any clothes in my family room, but my Mom said not to.
For starters, I applaud that you acquiesce to your mother's opinion on the subject. Additionally, I want to share with you some statistics provided to me by an associate of Dr. Neil Park (for an RPS safety training video I produced) regarding RPS-related injuries:
The most common injuries in RPS play are to the hand, of course (89 to 94 percent of all injuries, depending on which study you use). In addition to the occasional repetitive-stress related damage, there are the "impact" injuries from a poorly controlled throw colliding with the opponent, the opponent's hand, or inanimate objects in the near vicinity. Both of these categories of injuries have been drastically reduced in recent years due to increased awareness of their causes and consequences and the World RPS Society's regulations against "Ritualizing the Throw."
What may be of more interest to you are the remaining five to ten percent of injuries, which result from overly energetic throws coming in contact with a player's body. These, while not common, can be as severe and debilitating as hand injuries ÷ in some cases more so. Improperly thrown rocks have been known to cause contusions, concussions (sometimes with associated loss of memory), and hairline fractures. Scissors have been responsible for blindness, severe scratches and cuts (people, please clip your nails!) and lost teeth. Paper is by far the least violent, but has on one or two occasions caused temporarily collapsed windpipes and unconsciousness.
The fact of the matter is, unless you are a trained professional playing against trained professionals, it is not safe to play high-intensity RPS without protective gear. And the most important protective item you can wear is a pair of pants.
Arbiter
Zone Captain, Media Brigade
"Scissors for scissors' sake."