The popularity of the tile game mah-jong “spans continents and centuries”, said Vanity Fair. And, these days, it’s moving firmly from “amusing pastime” to “a lifestyle” for many young people.
A combination of “ritual and mystery”, the game requires “skill and intelligence” and can feel “nearly impenetrable” to observers. But Gen Zs are increasingly entranced by the “hypnotic and persistent clicking of tiles” and “silent swapping of pieces”.
‘Pattern recognition’ skills
Originating in 19th century China, mah-jong was brought to the West in the 1920s by Joseph Park Babcock, a US Standard Oil representative who’d been living in Shanghai. Back then, it was played with imported, heavy, traditional tiles. These “could easily stand on edge on a table” but soon “cheaper, lighter” tiles were being manufactured in the US that needed additional racks and pushers for support.
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Babcock adapted the game’s rules to “an American style of play”, and what had started out in China as a male-dominated gambling game “associated with insalubrious venues” was picked up fervently by “society women” in the US. They had a “wealth of time to play and money to buy tile sets”.
The game’s current boom in popularity has been driven, in no small part, by social media and popular culture, said The Economist. In manga and anime, mah-jong is often used as a “narrative device to “ramp up tension”, and there’s a “pivotal” game in the 2018 hit movie “Crazy Rich Asians”. Over the past year, TikTok has seen “a 70% surge in mah-jong content”, with many videos “extolling the pleasures of playing with friends”. The activity provides a “sensory experience” and a feeling “of community” that is far more “enriching” than doomscrolling the evening away.
It also requires pattern recognition and memory skills, both of which help keep cognitive function in top gear. You can “learn a lot about someone’s true nature by how they play”, said Angie Lin, founder of mah-jong community East Never Loses, in Dazed. You can see how impulsive a person can be, as well as judge their attentiveness.
‘Building connections’
Mah-jong lovers are also posting videos of new sets online. Content creators unbox the game and showcase the gleam of their newly purchased tiles. A set’s design is highly significant, with luxury brands such as Hermès and Prada releasing sets styled as objets d’art.
In America, the “whitewashing” of mah-jong has been a major point of controversy in the past but “Asian-led” communities are now changing the narrative, said Lin in Dazed. A new generation of players who are passionate about “reconnecting with their roots” have helped foster a real sense of community with other Asian-Americans.
At a time where most of us are suffering from digital fatigue and isolation, the game is “perfect vehicle for building connections”. Everyone can have a seat at the mah-jong table, as long as they have “respect” for its cultural past.