Tag (also called chase, tig, it, tiggy, tips, tick, on-on and tip) is a playground game involving one or more players chasing other players in an attempt to "tag" and mark them out of play, typically by touching with a hand.

[citation needed] In 2018, the internet meme "How old were you when you found out ____" began circulating, which stated that the origin of the word tag was an acronym meaning 'touch and go'.

[6] (See also: Ostracinda) Some Indian variations of tag are theorized to represent certain things from ancient Indian history; for example, there is evidence to suggest that the traditional Bengali game of gollachut, in which players attempt to run out of a circular field without being tagged by opponents, may represent escape attempts by agricultural slaves during the Indus Valley Civilization.

[13] During the COVID-19 pandemic, it was noted that children around the world started to play variations of tag which involved roleplaying spreading coronavirus.

[19] Players (two or more) decide who is going to be "it", often using a counting-out game such as eeny, meeny, miny, moe or rock paper scissors.

Many variants modify the rules for team play or place restrictions on tagged players' behavior.

[22] Players may be safe from being tagged under certain circumstances: if they are within a pre-determined area, off the ground, or when touching a particular structure.

[35][36] In 2008, a 10-year-old boy in Omaha, Nebraska, died from brain injuries suffered from falling onto a metal pole while playing tag.

[37] A school dinner lady in Dorset was left partially paralyzed after a boy playing tag ran into her in 2004; her damage claim was rejected by three Court of Appeal judges, who ruled that the boy had not broken any school rules by playing the game.

[38] In 2019, Joanne Smith, the headteacher of Rudyard Kipling Primary School & Nursery, banned the game of tag because it was too rough.

[42] The president of the US National Association for Sport and Physical Education said that "tag games are not inherently bad ... teachers must modify rules, select appropriate boundaries and equipment, and make sure pupils are safe.

Teachers should emphasize tag games that develop self-improvement, participation, fair play, and cooperation.

In a variation, once the fish run to the other side without getting tagged, the game pauses until the octopus starts it again.

[45] To increase the difficulty, an object may be added to the color declaration; for example, the ogre could call out "green park bench".

[54] In the 'standing kho-kho' variant, players simply stand in front of or behind each other as opposed to hooking their elbows together.

[citation needed] Players stand or sit in a circle and attempt to run to the other side.

[57] Similar games are played that are known as Vish Amrut/Vish Amrit[58] (Poison-Antidote), Lock and Key, Ice and Water, Banana Tag[59][60] and Stuck in the Mud.

[75][76] Cops and robbers, sometimes called "jail", "jail tag", "team tag", "chase", "cowboys and Indians", "police and thief", "prisoner's base"[77] "jailbreak", "releaseo" or "manhunt",[78] has players split into two teams: cops and robbers.

The game is thought to date back to the Renaissance period, and may be inspired by the act of bride kidnapping.

[82] A game of prisoner's base was played by members of Lewis & Clark's Corps of Discovery against a group of Nez Perce.

[89] Surr is played by two teams of at least four players, in a field divided by two perpendicular "lines of defense" (lanes) into four quadrants.

[citation needed] Research students developed a version of tag played using handheld WiFi-enabled computers with GPS.

[citation needed] A traditional type of line tag, sometimes played in snow, is Fox and geese.

[citation needed] An aquatic American variant of blind man's bluff, most commonly played in a swimming pool, although it may also be played while swimming in shallow natural bodies of water (typically the areas near the shores of oceans, seas, and lakes).

[99][100] There are several variations of and games related to "Tree climbing monkey" (such as Surparambya,[101][102][103] Marakothi and Dand parhangrha).

[citation needed] In South Asia, several sports are variants of tag, played at the team level, sometimes internationally.

The attacker has the option of switching roles with a teammate by touching their back, and can also run around either pole to enter the other half of the court.

The offensive player is restricted to hopping around on one foot, and aims to tag as many defenders as possible.

[107] World Chase Tag (WCT) is played between two teams of six players over 16 rounds of gameplay.

The mode of play is also similar to rugby league with attacking players attempting to dodge, evade and pass a rugby ball while defenders attempt to prevent them scoring by tagging – pulling a velcro attached tag from the ball carrier.