The knifegame, pinfinger, nerve, bishop, stabscotch, stabberscotch, five finger fillet, or "stab between the fingers game", is a game wherein, placing the palm of one's hand down on a table with fingers apart, using a knife, or other sharp object, one attempts to stab back and forth between one's fingers, moving the object back and forth, trying to not hit one's fingers. The game is intentionally dangerous, exposing players to the risk of injury and scarring, and, before antibiotics, an incision or penetration risked sepsis and death. A foldable blade carries the additional danger that, "as the faster you go, the more likely the blade will fold back in on itself trapping the finger of your stabbing hand." It may be played much more safely by using another object, such as the eraser side of a pencil or a marker with its cap on. In European culture it is traditionally considered a boys' game. However, its focus on motor coordination and dexterity is comparable to clapping games.
Order of "stabbing"
The order in which the spaces between the fingers are stabbed varies. In the following examples, the space numbered 1 is to the outside of the thumb, with numbering then proceeding to the space between the thumb and index finger and so forth. The most popular version is to simply stab all the spaces in order, starting from behind the thumb to after the little finger, and back again : 1-2-3-4-5-6-5-4-3-2. A more complex order is also common : 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-1-5-1-4-1-3-1-2 or an even more complex order: 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6-2-6-3-6-4-6-5-6-4-6-3-6-2-6 In Australia this order is used. 1-2-1-3-1-4-1-5-1-6
Popular culture
Video games
In the Sierra On-Line game ', one sequence requires winning the knife game in a Brooklyn bar in order to continue the winning plot. In the Lucas Arts game Full Throttle, the knife game is played in a bar. It appears as one of the minigames in Work Time Fun. It has no win condition, so the game only ends once the player hits a finger. Knife.Hand.Chop.Bot, by the Svoltcore group, is an "interactive installation that plays with the recipient's concern about own physical integrity." 2010's Red Dead Redemption, its sequel Red Dead Redemption 2 and 2011's Rage include the knife game as a playable mini-game. In ', a few drunken locals can be seen playing the knife game inside an inn. In ', Robert Zussman is seen playing the knife game in an opening cinematic. In ' Kokichi Ouma attempts to play it in his final free-time again.
Knife game song
On August 31, 2011, a YouTube video entitled "The Knife Game Song" created by songwriter Rusty Cage was released. Several internet users uploaded videos of them singing a song while playing the knife game. A new version of the song with additional lyrics was later released on March 29, 2013. In 2017, Rusty Cage released a video detailing his side of the story on the knife game. He uploaded his final knife game song on April 29, 2017. In January 2019, Rusty privated these songs from his YouTube due to fears of his channel being striked and terminated, however there are still re-uploads of the songs by other users on the site, and Rusty created a BitChute account so he could store his Knife Game videos.
Film
Roman Polanski's first feature Knife in the Water may be the first film to show the game; a young hitchhiker plays the game on the deck of a sailboat. The movie Aliens features a scene with a member of the crew, Bishop, who plays the "knife game" with another member of the crew. The game is played in the movie Ted created by Seth MacFarlane; the eponymous character, the talking teddy bear, Ted, plays the game at a party with a stranger while intoxicated and ends up accidentally stabbing the stranger's hand. In The Hangover Part II an unsuccessful attempt at the knife game is eventually revealed to be the cause of the severed finger discovered in the motel room, which turns out to be an essential clue.
Television
In episode 8 of the first season of Samurai Jack, some patrons of the bar in the opening scene are shown to play a version of the game with a spork instead of a knife. In episode 2 of The IT Crowd, Moss can be seen playing the game as a fire spreads across the office. In Season 5, Episode 14 of The Amazing World of Gumball, Darwin can be seen playing the knife game using a fork. In Season 1, Episode 2 of SuperMansion, Black Saturn, Jewbot, Brad, American Ranger, and Cooch take turns failing at the game in the kitchen. In season 1, episode 6 of the HBO series Boardwalk Empire features a young WWI veteran, Jimmy Darmody, playing "Five Finger Fillet," and requesting the young Al Capone to join in. In episode 21 of the 11th season of The Simpsons, Homer Simpson can be seen failing the knife game and stabbing all of his fingers. In the episode "The Bill" of Inside No. 9, the knife game is used to decide who should pay a restaurant bill. In The Night Of, the knife game becomes a pivotal element to the criminal trial. In Season 3, Episode 10 of Z Nation, 10K is forced to perform the knife game as a test of loyalty to Murphy.
