Champion cracks men’s rock-paper-scissors “paper” habit amid 1000-people competition

More than a thousand people took part in the city’s first large-scale rock-paper-scissors competition, with 32-year-old Polly Kong crowned champion after observing many male players tended to start with “paper.”

In the final round, Kong defeated Lam Tsz-fung, the organiser of the event, who had been crowned "Boxing Champion" due to his consecutive victories on a YouTube series.

“A secret to winning was that I found male players tend to start with paper,” Kong said. “I also kept an eye on opponents’ moves to guess their next gestures.” 

The first rock-paper-scissors competition was held at The Mills in Tsuen Wan, drawing over a thousand people, who ditched their phones and came face-to-face to play.

Organised by former Trial & Error members, the competition used a standard best of five elimination format.

Lam said people often play rock-paper-scissors casually, but rarely compete with it strategically.

“In the Cuttlefish Game segment of the YouTube show Trial & Error, I was fully immersed in the Rock-Paper-Scissors game and was determined to win,” he said.

“This interesting experience sparked the idea of sharing, and so I organised this competition," he added.

The rock-paper-scissors event was more than a competition, it also revived the nostalgic memories for Hongkongers of the classic face-to-face play.

Participants said the event recalled other classic face-face games like the hand-guessing drinking game Fifteen-Twenty and  “Tong Ci Dau,” a close-contact partner game. 

The lively atmosphere drew participants from different age groups and industries. 

Celebrities and influencers, such as actress Li Man-yi and singer Lee Hoi-kiu, also participated in the competition.

“I’m really exhilarated today. I can't believe the game got me jumping up and down," Lee said.

Many parents attended the event with their children. A father-son duo stood out, with the father winning three group stage rounds and the son winning four to reach the group's top four.

Julia Choi, a 25-year-old participant, said she hopes Hong Kong will host more offline rock-paper-scissors events.

“It’s rare to play Rock-Paper-Scissors with around 1,000 people," she added.