Games (New Kids on the Block song)

"Games" is a song by American boyband New Kids on the Block, released as the first single from their first compilation/remix album, No More Games/The Remix Album (1990). Employing hip-hop samples with riffs sung by Jordan Knight, and defensive rhymes by Donnie Wahlberg, the song was a dramatic departure from their previously clean cut sound. It also includes shout-outs to Donnie's brother Mark Wahlberg and his group Marky Mark and the Funky Bunch. The song features a chorus section taken from the movie the wizard of Oz, namely the West witch's soldiers chant: oh ee oh, oh oh. The accompanying music video for "Games" received heavy rotation on MTV Europe.

Feeling the name "New Kids on the Block" was too childish for the group, the band shortened their name to "NKOTB" during the time of the single's release. The song received decent airplay from stations nationwide.

Critical reception

Terry Staunton from NME wrote, "We have to be pretty honest here. This is probably the best thing they'll ever do and it is strangely adult. There's a touch of early Earth, Wind & Fire to it ("Saturday Night", "Shining Star", that sort of stuff) and it's not altogether dissimilar to Grandmaster Melle Mel's "White Lines". A bit of a corker, I have to admit."