Jenga is a classic block-building game popular at parties and family get-togethers. It starts out sedately enough, but quickly builds to a suspenseful, high-spirited climax.
The rules are simple: Each game starts with the 54 wooden blocks arranged into an 18-story tower, three block on each level, with alternating levels placed at right angles to each other. Each player then carefully remove a block from anywhere below the top level (using only one hand!), and stacks it on the top of the tower. Play continues until the tower topples, and the last person to make a safe move wins the game!
It's that simple! But the game becomes harder and harder the longer it lasts, until the tension becomes unbearable. Finally someome makes an ill-advised move, and CRASH, down it all comes!
The game of Jenga was devised by Leslie Scott, a British citizen who was raised in East Africa. The name "Jenga" is derived from a Swahili word meaning "to build". Scott created the game in the early 1970's and introduced it to the world at the London Toy Fair in 1983. Hasbro eventually licensed the game and brought it to the American market, and it's been a world-wide sensation ever since. You can learn more about the history of the game from Hasbro.
It is a great party game for all ages, and has proven to be a great "ice-breaker" and a reliable way to turn strangers into friends. It's a quick hit of fun and excitement that everyone enjoys, so gather your friends or family and get ready for some real "edge-of-your-seat" fun!
Jenga Games
Jenga Max
Build it big, wide or tall, but don't let it fall! This might just be the most nail-biting Jenga game you've ever played. The challenge is to hook or hang the blocks onto each other without upsetting the balance and maxing it out. Hang 'em straight up, straight out, or over the top, but don't hang one in the wrong spot, or it'll all fall down. Be the last player to successfully hang a block and you win the game.
Jenga Collector's Editions
Jenga News
- Board Game Buzz, May 6, 2013 – 2013-05-06
- Jenga Strategies & Personalities – 2011-06-30
