Carnival Games

A funfair or simply fair (e.g., "county fair", "state fair") is a small to medium sized traveling show primarily composed of stalls and other amusements. Larger fairs such as the permanent fairs of cities and seaside resorts might be called a fairground, although technically this should refer to the land where a fair is traditionally held. The word fair comes from the Latin word feria, meaning a holiday.

In North America, a fair is sometimes called a carnival or exhibition, although in Europe and other parts of the world influenced by the Catholic church, a carnival is a procession usually held around Shrove Tuesday which is sometimes accompanied by a funfair, but which is known in the United States as Mardi Gras. One strand of the medieval fair has diverged to become the agricultural show which often still has a funfair attached. Increasingly, funfairs are appearing as additional attractions alongside any large gatherings of people such as major sporting events, music festivals, and civic celebrations.

Carny or carnie is a slang term for a carnival (funfair) employee, as well as the language they employ. http://goodmagic.com/carny/ciazarn.htm Carny A carny is anyone who runs a "joint" (booth), "grab joint" (food stand), game, or ride at a carnival.

A carnival game is a game of chance or skill that can be seen at a traveling carnival, charity fund raiser, amusement park, or on a state and county fair midway.

Carnival games are usually operated on a "pay per play" basis. Prices may range from a small amount, for example 25¢ (cents), to a few dollars per play. Most games offer a small prize to the winner. Prizes may include items like stuffed animals, toys, or posters. Continued play is encouraged as multiple small prizes may traded in for a larger prize. Multiplayer games?the "Watergun" game is one example?may change the size of the prize with the number of players. In a more difficult game, including the "Baseball and Basket" or "Stand the Bottle", a large prize may be awarded to any winner.

Carnival games have a poor reputation in some areas. This may be that some carnival games utilize optical illusions or physical relationships that make it hard for a player to judge the games' difficulty. Also, some operators have run games that are rigged to take advantage of unsuspecting players. In many areas, these games are tested by local law enforcement to find unfairly run games.