History Main / GameOfChicken

More broadly, "Game of Chicken" can be used as a metaphor for any challenge that depends on seeing who will be the first to back down, such as in political or business negotiations. (The first person to cave in usually gets the worse side of the deal, but if nobody caves in, neither side gets a deal.)

A similar scenario occurs with two guys driving their cars toward the edge of a cliff at high speed. Whichever driver stops closest to the edge of the cliff without going over wins the other driver's car. If either driver doesn't (or both drivers don't) stop in time...again, you get the idea.

It goes without saying '''DoNotTryThisAtHome!''' Fatal accidents can -- and have -- happened to people who tried this. It's better to be the chicken who refused to play than dead duck who did.

* This is how the ambush predators known to the ''Wiki/SCPFoundation'' as [[https://scp-wiki.wikidot.com/scp-745 SCP-745]] operate; they hunt in pairs using their [[AlluringAnglerfish bioluminescence]] to resemble oncoming cars at night, and sprint towards lone vehicles at speeds over 100 mph to force drivers to stop or swerve off the road, allowing them to feast on the car's occupants. The only way to survive is to win the game, as they'll split from each other and run past if the driver calls their bluff.

* Shotaro Kaneda, as the leader of the Capsules, plays chicken with the leader of the Clowns in Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo's ''Manga/{{Akira}}''. This is done on a highway of Neo-Tokyo upon motorcycles at 150 kmh (88 mph). The Clown flinches first and skids out of control when he swerves away, while Kaneda executes his famous and much-referenced SlidingBikeStop.

* ''Fanfic/ADarkerPath'': Taylor kills the police's suspicions of her involvement in Sophia's death with a single conversation, but there's still a risk of someone in the PRT making the connection to the fact that Sophia bullied Taylor for a year. That is, there ''was'' a risk, until she publicly claims the kill as "Atropos" after murdering her way through the city's worst gangs. Faced with the possibility of outing Atropos and drawing her ire, for the sake of a troublesome Ward who could have landed them all in hot water, the PRT blinks first, officially doubling down on an alternative theory and unofficially acknowledging that they don't want to know.

* ''VideoGame/FateGrandOrder'': The "Dead Heat Summer Race" event has Boudica challenge all the racers to see who can ride the closest to the mouth of a volcano. As soon as the race starts, Scheherazade chickens out and refuses to move her vehicle, saying she doesn't want to risk death, to her partner Nitocris' frustration. The other racers are forced to stop because of obstacles like lava flows. It gets down to Boudica in her chariot vs Nero and Altria Alter in their car. Boudica says she doesn't care if she dies as long as she can beat Nero, since she hates Romans. Just as they reach the mouth of the volcano, Nero and Altria Alter stop. Boudica doesn't, but Nero and Altria Alter grab her and pull her to safety as her chariot falls into the lava. To Nero and Altria Alter's surprise, Boudica declares Oda Nobunaga and Mysterious Heroine X the winners because they actually fell into the volcano.

* In the old ''WesternAnimation/SuperFriends'', there was a Wonder Twins short where the duo had to rescue one of two teenagers who tried this. In this variation, the participants piloted motorboats towards the topside of a waterfall on a river, and the one who turned away first was chicken. Ironically, the one whom the twins had to rescue was technically the winner; the guy who turned chicken could at least say he was a ''smart'' chicken.

** Night-Light Fright, from ''Mario Party 5'', has the players stopping an approaching Chain Chomp with a flashlight. Whoever let's the Chomp get closest before stopping it wins, but of course you instantly lose if it reaches you. Making things more complicated is the Chomps approach at varying speeds. Do you turn early, or let it come a ''little'' closer, hoping it doesn't get a sudden burst of speed...
** Gimmie a Brake, from ''Mario Party 7'', players must brake their scooter at the farthest distance without falling into a pit of mud.

* Episode 9 of ''Anime/ZombieLandSaga'' reveals that this is how BikerBabe Saki died: a rival biker gang challenged her to a game of chicken where they both drive towards a cliff; whoever brakes first loses. You can probably figure out the outcome yourself. In the present day, the daughter of her best friend gets caught up in the exact same game. Saki intervenes and takes her place: since she's already dead, she's not afraid of crashing.

Compare WronskiFeint, MutuallyAssuredDestruction, and ShowdownAtHighNoon; similar concepts include MexicanStandoff and PrisonersDilemma. Closely related to MachoMasochism, and NobodyCallsMeChicken Also related to ZanySchemeChicken. See CluckingFunny for actual chickens.

Compare WronskiFeint, MutuallyAssuredDestruction, and ShowdownAtHighNoon; similar concepts include MexicanStandoff and PrisonersDilemma. Closely related to NobodyCallsMeChicken Also related to ZanySchemeChicken. See CluckingFunny for actual chickens.

The classic example. Two men head toward each other, driving cars. The first to turn away is the chicken. If neither turns... well, you get the idea.

A similar scenario occurs with two guys driving their cars toward the edge of a cliff at high speed. Whichever driver stops closest to the edge of the cliff without going over wins the other driver's car. If either driver doesn't (or both drivers don't) stop in time...

* In ''VideoGame/Minecraft'', a popular challenge invented by players is 'Void Chicken': Two or more players wearing elytra and carrying fireworks will dive off an End Island into the void. The first to pull out of the dive is the chicken. If one or both players don't pull out in time, they will die and lose any equipment they had been carrying.

* In ''VideoGame/Mincraft'', a popular challenge invented by players is 'Void Chicken': Two or more players wearing elytra and carrying fireworks will dive off an End Island into the void. The first to pull out of the dive is the chicken. If one or both players don't pull out in time, they will die and lose any equipment they had been carrying.

* Shotaro Kaneda, as the leader of the Capsules, plays chicken with the leader of the Clowns in Creator/KatsuhiroOtomo's ''Manga/{{Akira}}''. This is done on a highway of Neo-Tokyo upon motorcycles at 150 kmh (88 mph).

* ''Plague on Kryder II'' by Creator/MurrayLeinster. The villains try to shoot down the rocketship flown by our hero, who instead of fleeing [[GameOfChicken turns his spacecraft]] towards them despite being unarmed. Alarmed, the villains turn away and our hero does likewise, cutting their rocketship into pieces with his WeaponizedExhaust.

* ''Manga/ShonanJunaiGumi'': Kamishima Toshiki challenges Katsuyuki to a duel on the train tracks, as a train is approaching. Katsuyuki flinches and jumps back onto the platform before the train comes to a stop.

* In the ''Series/DoctorWho'' episode "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS9E5TheTimeMonster The Time Monster]]" the Master acquires an artifact that will allow him to control an almost omnipotent transdimensional being; the Doctor initiates an overload of the Tardis's systems that will destroy them both unless the Master hands over the artifact, while the Master insists he'd rather perish than surrender absolute power. [[spoiler: The Doctor caves first, but companion Jo triggers the overload. Fortunately they all get better.]]
** They played this again in the revived series, at the end of "[[Recap/DoctorWhoS29E13LastOfTheTimeLords Last of the Time Lords]]", with the Master, thwarted, threatens to blow up Earth with him and the Doctor on it with the black hole converters of his would-be universe conquering space fleet. [[spoiler: The Doctor calls him on it, pointing out that he knows the Master and knows that he would never kill himself. The Master caves.]]