Snout - Tail - Hoof
Can we play games against or with pigs?
A conversation came up with colleagues about how to decide on the order of authorship in a scientific article. A game of rock, paper, scissors was suggested. Our particularly porcine-inclusive geographer asked, "Can pigs play rock, paper scissors? What might they use for their equally matched triad of objects?"
Rock/snout, paper/tail, scissors/hoof (Illustration: Paul Keil)
And indeed, a pig could learn these associations - pigs demonstrate a capacity for understanding symbolic language, for instance, relating gestural symbols to objects or actions, and even understanding combined symbols. Although whether the pig could comprehend the basic rules and hierarchy of symbols in rock, paper, scissors is a different question. This requires a comprehension of transverse patterning tasks. Chimps can do it. So can monkeys, rats and pigeons to varying degrees. It is possible a pig could too - but whether they could embody it in a game with humans (including that crucial sense of synchronous timing so essential to a fair bout) remains to be seen.
There are simpler games and interfaces. In 2021, researchers studied 4 pigs and assessed their success at achieving food and social rewards by manipulating a cursor on screen with an arcade joystick. The goal was to direct a cursor so it hits a "wall" on screen - the simplest and most achievable goal was one wall, and less competency was demonstrated with increased complexity (2 or 3 walls). While astounded that the pig could recognise the connection between moving the joystick and the cursor, as well as the goal of hitting a wall, they also found multiple issues related to the design of the device which was not entirely appropriate to the dexterity of their bodies and snouts.
(interestingly, the manipulation of the virtual environment in order to obtain food might be considered as a form of rootling for the pig)
Unfortunately any hope of competing against a pig in PONG are now dashed until a more appropriate device is designed that better fits a pig's snout and range of bodily movement.
Pong by Filip Sliško via dribbble.com
Instead of playing against, perhaps playing with would be more interesting? Some Dutch researchers proposed a game design called Pig Chase whereby people work with pigs to complete tasks "If pigs and humans move in harmony, that is, if a pig’s snout and the human’s ball of light move through a goal triangle, it triggers a colorful display of fireworks." Its a cool idea, encourages users to maintain connection with the animal with a nice intimate interface for humans. Although for pigs, humans are reduced to merely a stimulating ball of light. Also the condition of their participation is their ultimate demise in a piggery slaughterhouse.