Internalization of Commonality Values Through A Loving-
Traditional Game Movement
Sri Hilmi Pujihartati and Mahendra Wijaya
Department of Sociology, Social and Political Sciences Faculty, Universitas Sebelas Maret, Surakarta, Indonesia
Keywords: Traditional Game, Character, Cooperation.
Abstract: Traditional game is the one replete with physical content and mental content thereby from playing game,
physical and mental health can be obtained. Traditional game needs jumping and running movement, and
often played in open nature under hot sunlight. It is different from modern game using sophisticated
instrument and requiring a room with AC. Actually parents and teachers still want to teach traditional game
but they find difficulty in teaching it as they have forgotten the way of playing it. Meanwhile, the advanced
nation is the one having good and strong character. As Bung Karno suggests, Indonesian nation should be
built by transcending the character development, because character development will make Indonesia the
great and prestigious country. This research aims to create the movement of loving traditional game, to
make the community have commonality character. Commonality value can be embodied through traditional
game. Traditional game needs more than one player so that team work is required. Therefore, they have
been accustomed to work in team. For that reason, loving traditional game will create the citizens who have
cooperative character.
1 INTRODUCTION
A child’s life is inseparable from others; they do
learning activity and playing game together. The
game conducted is a means of recreation, sport, and
making friends. Agha (2017) states that sport and
game are inseparable from human life. It will
strengthen energy and lengthen life. Human being is
preoccupied with pursuing wealth now by
sacrificing health and long life. For that reason,
Agha (2017) states that traditional game plays an
important part in enlivening the almost extinct
cultural heritage, and improving the standard moral
of young generation in addition to lengthening life
expectancy.
Other authors see game as one of cultural forms.
One of them, Misbach (2006) says that traditional
kid game is one form of folklores circulating orally
among the members of certain traditional culture,
with traditional form, with rule of game containing
noble values, conducted through interaction and sent
down hereditarily from one generation to the next.
Value is a definition containing good and evil
characteristics to appreciate an object. Through his
mind and character, human appreciate world to get
what he needs, what benefits him or makes him
satisfied (Danandjaya, 1987). The values contained
in traditional game are: responsibility, commonness,
honesty, affection, sensibility, and etc. It is these
values that should be sent down to our young
generation to enable our generation to assess what is
right and wrong that will built into a character.
Belonging to folklore, the characteristics of
traditional kid game are: old, unknown for its origin,
creator, and sometime its name or form changes
despite same basis. Lestariningrum and Yulianto
(2016) suggests that traditional game tries to raise
culture in equality, as traditional game in every area
has similar meaning and rule of game corresponding
to the local culture, despite different name. Hidayat
(2013) finds that engklek (Central Java) is called
asinan Gala Asin (in Kalimantan), intingan (Sampit),
Tengge Tengge (Gorontalo), cak Lingking (Bangka),
Teprok (Bali), Gili-Gili (Merauke), Deprok
(Betawi), Gedrik (Banyuwangi), Sonda (Mojokerto),
Sonlah, Konclong (West Java) with different name
but same game rule. Thus, every active learning
strategy concept through traditional game, when it is
implied with multicultural concept, will be
conceived collectively.
In playing, adaptation to others is needed, as
through game we can express ourselves. Every
328
Pujihartati, S. and Wijaya, M.
Internalization of Commonality Values Through A Loving-Traditional Game Movement.
In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education (ICSE 2017) - Volume 2, pages 328-333
ISBN: 978-989-758-316-2
Copyright © 2018 by SCITEPRESS – Science and Technology Publications, Lda. All rights reserved

player attempts to achieve as much as possible result
(Mead, 1962; Michener, 2000). Building and
stimulant the child receives through playing game
make the children have ability of learning to
socialize with their peer and adults. Therefore,
playing game can improve social that cannot be
achieved instantaneously.
Children who cannot play usually cannot adapt
to their environment and finally they will alienate.
Therefore, in order to adapt to environment, a
children is always identical with playing. The next
benefit to be obtained in traditional game is that it
can improve intellectual, social and emotional
intelligence. Aisyah’s (2015) study found that
traditional game can improve interpersonal
intelligence. Interpersonal intelligence cannot be
achieved instantaneously but gradually through
abilities of empathy, organizing, controlling and
reading other’s mind.
Inan et al. (2016) says that the most effective
way of educating children is through game, as game
is a real education medium, knowledge and skill
necessary to life. Gelisli Y and Yazici (2015) study
on traditional game conducted in Turkey found that
traditional game will disappear worryingly. In fact,
traditional game contributes to children’s motor, is
beneficial to increase vocabularies, and will increase
knowledge and develop children’s emotion in
building future preparation. The research conducted
by Khasanah et al., (2011) found that dakon game
can create children’s motor ability as the fine motor
is used more in this game. In this game, children are
required to hold a seed wholly while putting it into a
box with one hand), Dakon can also practice
intellectual intelligence as this game need stones as
the instrument used to fill in hole; in addition to
stones, children can fill in the dakon hole using
seeds they find in their environment.
Similarly, Gosh (2015) exploring children
particularly in rural areas in western Bengal, Indian
most of which are poor village, found that Bengal
people realize that game is very important to
children’s growth period. In addition, traditional
game is very helpful in controlling their physical and
mental health. Another benefit of traditional game is
to strengthen group and fraternity bond.
Meanwhile, Mihaela and Boghian (2014) say
that game can also be used to explain to the students
in the class. Such the game will be beneficial to deal
with shy feeling, to improve self-confidence,
learning theory joyfully, giving visual sample in
daily life. Finally, all students are compelled to
learn, to invent, to think and to take action thereby
improving self-esteem, and self-improvement. It also
indicates that playing plays an important role in
learning. In this case, playing can complement the
children’s school activity that can give the children
the opportunity of understanding, conceiving, and
interpreting what they have learnt in formal
education setting. Specifically, playing game is
important to help children not only acquire
information but also solve problem collectively.
Thus, traditional game can impact very
positively on children’s social and emotional skill.
In traditional game, physical agility is required;
physical agility can be running (e.g. hide and seek
game), jumping (e.g. rope jump), and berjinjit
(standing on tiptoe) (in engklek playing). In addition
to physical activity, cooperation is needed between
the players; cooperation is made not only in group
but also with other group. It can be summarized that
the characters contained in traditional game are,
among others: 1) traditional game utilizes more
instruments or facilities in our environment so that it
needs imagination and creativity, for example
engklek game can use stone, roof tile flake and
construction material flake, 2) traditional game use a
relatively large number of players, and 3) traditional
game contains noble values and certain moral
messages such as honesty, responsibility, tolerance,
commonality, achievement motivation, and rule
obedience.
Another benefit of traditional game is that it can
serve as therapy. McKinty (2011)’s study found that
string game coming from Australia is in fact
interesting to be played by the young adult lying on
a bed in hospital. As this game can be played while
lying on as long as the finger can be moved as the
string playing activity. As a result, string playing can
encourage in interaction between patients, family
members, and hospital visitors thereby reaching the
children in order not to be traumatic with their
experience during staying in hospital.
In contrast, modern game does not require many
players, the player itself is enough, even when an
enemy is needed they do not need face-to-face
contact so that an individual cannot understand
his/her enemy’s feeling thereby focusing on the
game only. Modern game tends to affect the children
aggressively in their daily life.
An even has ever occurred in America (Misbach,
2006) in which video game can result in addiction as
it contains thrill elements, tension. The researchers
argue that video game offers stronger aggression
than TV show as it is more alive and interactive. The
target of video game is to overthrow or to kill the
enemy. In a sensational case occurring on April 20,
1999, 2 Columbine High School students in
Internalization of Commonality Values Through A Loving-Traditional Game Movement
329

Littleton, Colorado, America, Erick Haris (18 years)
and Dylon Klebod (17 years), kill their eleven
friends and one teacher. It is reported that they can
sit down for many hours to play violent game.
Another effect of online game, according to a
study conducted by faculty of medicine of Hanover
University in Germany, is that it can lead an
individual to have bipolar syndrome. It can be seen
from the result of research on a woman playing
online game every day for 3 months by playing
different character. In fact, the imaginary characters
take over her personality so that the woman losses
control over her identity and social life (Nur, 2013).
Lickona T (1992) says that there are behavioral
signs indicating a nation’s destruction: increased
violence rate among adolescents, dishonesty culture,
reduced respect to parents, teachers, and leading
figure, and effect of peer group on violence.
Therefore, this research attempts to preserve
traditional game by conducting social action in
Kelurahan Jebres as the target of research. The main
target of this traditional game is children, as children
are the forefront guard as the next generation.
This research aims to create Traditional Game
Lover Community and to drive the community to
preserve traditional game actively, to make the
children accustomed to play and in turn to build
cooperation in group in daily life. The children who
can build cooperation are those accustomed to
interact with their friend flexibly. It will impact on
establishing the joyful social attitude, establishing
the willingness to help others in the form of building
cooperation
2 METHODS
This research employed a descriptive qualitative
approach aiming to reconstruct a variety of
traditional games to give the children an
understanding on various traditional games such as
Gobak Sodor, Engklek, Lompat tali, Gasing, Ular
Naga, Gasing, Bakiak, and Egarang. In socializing
traditional game, we invite Anak Bawang
community as the one socializing traditional game
actively.
This research was taken place in Kelurahan
Jebres of Surakarta Municipal as the Child-friendly
Village (Kelurahan Layak Anak). As the Child-
friendly Village, the activity conducted in Kelurahan
Jebres focuses on children. To accommodate the
children activities, a facility called Taman Cerdas is
established to facilitate the society’s activity related
to children, such as private course to guide the
children working on their school assignment, to
accommodate the children in storytelling activity,
and etc.
In Taman Cerdas location, Traditional Game
Lover Community is also established to accustom
Kelurahan Jebres people to play traditional game. It
is through this community that the children love
traditional game.
Techniques of collecting data used in this
research were observation, in-depth interview,
documentation and FGD. Focus Group Discussion
presents the informants selected including:
Kelurahan apparatus consisting of Lurah Jebres and
Kelurahan apparatus, members of society
represented by society leader, PKK Activator Team,
Karang Taruna (youth organization), and
administrator of Forum Anak Surakarta (Surakarta
Child Forum).
Data validation was conducted using
triangulation; the triangulation used in this research
was source triangulation; source triangulation is
intended to obtain higher reliability by means of
comparing and checking the reliability of
information obtained through different information.
It can be implemented through: 1) comparing what
is stated before the public and what is done
personally, 2) comparing the data of observation
result and data of interview result, and 3) comparing
the result of interview and the content of related
document. The triangulation is expected to improve
the research result validity.
Technique of analyzing data used was an
interactive model of analysis encompassing their
components: data reduction, data display and
conclusion drawing.
3 DISCUSSION
3.1 Traditional Game and Constraint
in reserving Traditional Game
Basically, child is the next generation, to the
children’s hand this nation’s f future will send down.
Childhood is the period identical with playing. Even
the organization of early age child education is the
one fulfilling the child’s rights and viewing the
children not as the miniature of adult. It will be
realized when education is conducted earlier.
Education conducted earlier will be a strong
foundation as it is conducted using joyful playing
activity.
Through playing, children can develop all
developmental aspects based on the children’s
ICSE 2017 - 2nd International Conference on Sociology Education
330

individual growth and development. It can be seen
that rationality becomes the focus of education but
body is considered as irrelevant at all to the process
learning to be smart. It is the learning emphasizing
on rationality, abstraction, and verbalism by means
of sitting down continuously so that physical action
is considered as not only less important but also
disturbing. Misbach (2006) suggests that childhood
is the ideal period to develop motor skill in the
attempt of maturing the muscle by exerting entire
sensory abilities. All of them are basic motor to
stimulate emotional skill and social life. Social
adjustment is an individual’s successful adaptation
and adjustment with others in general and group in
particularly. Children interacting with their friends
through playing can adapt to others more easily than
those not playing with friends. It can be known
instinctively during childhood, when it is practiced
in daily life, rather than compelled to sitting down in
the class, reading book or watching computer screen
along day but by interacting with others. The
opportunity of interacting with others is the bridge to
interact with broader world in the future.
Fundamentally, the natural learning media in fact
can empower all aspects of human being, involving
not only rational, emotional, physical, social, and
intuitive, but also ecological, spiritual, and ethical
aspects. Such the learning media is contained in
traditional game.
Kid game of each area is created by local culture
and environment. Traditional game uses materials
obtained easily in local environment such as roof tile
flake, leaves, banana stem, coconut shell and etc.
Agha (2017) states that in Nigeria there are some
traditional games: wrestle, dance, drum playing,
acrobatic screen, and race. However, along with the
development of technology, traditional game is now
forgotten. Even in Japan, there are also traditional
games still existing until today such as kite,
Badminton, Karuta, Daruma Otoshi, Kendana. (Rei,
2017).
Similarly, in Indonesia the modern game
developing more today due to technology advance in
turn affects the children’s playing activity. Dadtun et
al. (2012) states that children’s traditional game
condition in Surakarta is very worrying due to
technology development leading to the appearance
of new game in the form of electronic appliance.
Consumption society is identical with society
growth that in process constitutes ongoing growth
cycle connected to extravagance. Morally,
extravagance is the form of futility, but in society
growth extravagance becomes logical to fill in the
social gap between upper and lower classes.
Extravagance, in relation to consumer behavior, is a
part of lifestyle and consumerism culture triggered
by the rapidly changing mode in various objects and
needs of consumptive society life. Thus, gadget
consumption in children is a consumption over
symbolic function, because without gadget, children
have been able to meet their need for game. That is,
by playing with their peer.
Traditional games such as cublak-cublak
Suweng, Gobak Sodor, Engklek, Jamuran, Dakon
and etc have been forgotten by Indonesian children.
Even many of them do not know traditional games at
all. When the author was still in elementary school
(1977), traditional game was the one usually done
daily after school and it was played in the square or
in the house yard of neighbor. But the recent
condition is very different; after school, children no
longer assemble and play together.
Meanwhile, this current research finds that the
traditional game is extinct because:
 Children now focus more on the too dense
school subjects and even still take private
course after school. Thus, children have no
time to play.
 No public space is available for playing,
socializing, and exerting creativity in
developing mental and motor ability. Many
lands are used for housing, so that no spacious
land is available
 The condition of house existing now is
different from that in 1970s, in which the yard
was still so wide that accommodated many
children for playing. But now it can
accommodate a small family only.
 House environment is less supporting, because
the more the children get out of home, the
more is the negative effect affecting them
inconsistent with the norm inculcated within
family.
 Parents and teachers at school no longer
introduce traditional game to children. It leads
to the transfer of traditional game culture not
to run smoothly.
These make traditional game no longer known to
the children today. Moreover, this research is
conducted in urban areas, Kelurahan Jebres,
Surakarta Municipal. Meanwhile, traditional game is
sometimes played in rural or suburban areas.
3.2 Traditional Game Loving
Movement
To grow traditional game among children, the author
tries to create community moving in traditional
Internalization of Commonality Values Through A Loving-Traditional Game Movement
331

game area. This community is in charge of
introducing traditional game to children. The activity
of socializing traditional game should be conducted
by this community in order to make the children
knowing and applying this traditional game
routinely.
For that reason, after the community has been
created, it holds an event of socializing traditional
game every Sunday or holiday. To socialize
traditional games, the author involves Anak Bawang
community. Anak Bawang community is the one
that has been established since 2012 and has
introduced traditional game.
The activity of socializing traditional game is
held in Taman Cerdas (Smart Park) existing in RW
23 of Kelurahan Jebres. In this Park, children
assemble every Sunday to hold an activity, whether
to work on the school assignment or to do other
activities such as some competitions to celebrate
Independence Day or National Child Day, related to
children.
Through the activities conducted routinely to
introduce traditional game, the children will be
accustomed to play together continuously so that the
characters of honesty, commonality, responsibility,
health and etc are created
4 CONCLUSIONS
Traditional game is the one sent down hereditarily
from previous generation, constituting a playing
concept conducted spontaneously and there is a
consensus about the rule containing humanity value,
cultivating cooperation, and impacting on emotional,
socialization, accuracy, motor, and intellectual
aspects.
Recalling the benefit of traditional game, the
children should know and accustom with playing
traditional game in daily life. To accustom the
children with traditional game, the author
established a traditional game loving community
located in Kelurahan Jebres. It is this community
that makes children in Kelurahan Jebres internalized
(accustomed) to practice traditional game in daily
life. The benefit they will get is the creation of
cooperation character in their adulthood later.
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