Editing Telephone game (section)

==Game==
The game has no winner: the entertainment comes from comparing the original and final messages. Intermediate messages may also be compared; some messages will become unrecognizable after only a few steps.

As well as providing amusement, the game can have educational value.  It shows how easily information can become corrupted by indirect communication. The game has been used in schools to simulate the spread of gossip and its possible harmful effects.<ref>{{cite book |title=Nelson English Bk. 2 Teachers' Resource Book |first=John |last=Jackman |author2=Wendy Wren |isbn=0-17-424605-6 |publisher=Nelson Thornes |year=1999 |chapter=Skills Unit 8: the Chinese princess |quote=Play 'Chinese Whispers' to demonstrate how word-of-mouth messages or stories quickly become distorted}}</ref> It can also be used to teach young children to moderate the volume of their voice,<ref>{{cite book |title=Because We're Worth It: Enhancing Self-esteem in Young Children |first=Margaret |last=Collins  |page=55  |isbn=1-873942-09-5 |year=2001 |publisher=Sage |quote=Explain that speaking quietly can be more effective in communication than shouting, although clarity is important.  You could play "Chinese Whispers" to illustrate this! }}</ref> and how to listen attentively;<ref>{{cite book |title=music works: music education in the classroom with children from five to nine years |first=Kathie  |last=Barrs |year=1994   |publisher=Belair |isbn=0-947882-28-6 |page=48 |quote=Listening skills:...Play Chinese Whispers}}</ref> in this case, a game is a success if the message is transmitted accurately with each child whispering rather than shouting. It can also be used for older or adult learners of a foreign language, where the challenge of speaking comprehensibly, and understanding, is more difficult because of the low volume, and hence a greater mastery of the fine points of pronunciation is required.<ref>For example, see Hill, op. cit.; or {{cite book |title=Lernpunkt Deutsch.: students' book |first=Peter  |last=Morris |author2=Alan Wesson |page=viii |isbn=0-17-440267-8  |publisher=Nelson Thornes |year=2000 |quote=Simple games for practising vocabulary and/or numbers: ... Chinese Whispers: ...the final word is compared with the first to see how similar (or not!) it is. }}</ref>