Tag Archives: game

May 31, 2019 · 2:44 pm

Words with Friends

Words with Friends is a mobile multiplayer word game for smartphones and tablets. It’s basically like Scrabble in that you get tiles with letters on them, you use those tiles to spell out words, trying to maximize your points by strategically placing your tiles. It was first released in 2009, and it was one of the top mobile games of 2010 and 2011. That’s when I used to play it. I was pretty addicted for a solid six months. Then I got bored of it and deleted it and forgot about it for years. You might be wondering why I am suddenly talking about Words with Friends after such an extended hiatus.

Well, you can blame Debbie for that. Debbie is a friend from work and she just discovered the game because she lives under a rock. And Debbie decided to challenge me to a game. And I decided to accept her challenge because I’m a sucker. And now I’m addicted again. I challenged another friend to a game and I started another game against the computer. It’s only been a few hours but I’m already regretting my decision. Once an addict, always an addict. Fuck you, Debbie.

Critically Rated at 9/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 25, 2019 · 5:19 pm

Hide-and-Seek

Hide-and-seek is a popular game for children of all ages. The rules are simple. Someone hides and someone seeks. It’s a timeless game. You played it. Your parents played it. Your grandparents played it. Even kids today have been known to stop playing Fortnite for a few minutes to play a few rounds of hide-and-seek.

Kids mostly play it on playgrounds and schoolyards. Angsty teens play it in graveyards at midnight. I’m thirty-something and I play it in my apartment. Seriously. Me and my girlfriend have started playing hide-and-seek in our apartment, but there’s a twist. We play with our dog. My girlfriend will distract the dog while I hide somewhere. Then she releases the pup and he runs around trying to find me and gets really excited when he does. Then I hold the dog while my girlfriend hides. He prefers running around the park or going crazy at the beach, but he enjoys hide-and-seek when he can’t go outside. He’s getting pretty good at it. The only problem is that he thinks we are going to hide whenever we leave the room to go to the bathroom or grab something from the fridge and gives us the stink eye.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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October 19, 2018 · 2:28 pm

I Won HQ

Well, it finally happened. I won HQ. For those out of the loop, HQ is a live daily trivia gameshow that you play on your smartphone. You try to answer all twelve questions correctly and the winners split the jackpot. The questions come in a variety of categories like sports, history, pop culture, science, etc. Every now and then they have a themed game.

Last night’s game was focused on the American version of The Office. I was stoked and had a feeling I would do well. I watched it while it was airing weekly on NBC. It’s one of my Netflix background shows. I’ve also seen tons of YouTube compilations like Dwight’s best moments and every “That’s what she said!” so I felt prepared. I even had an extra life for playing five days in a row. I was at my dive bar and we had a group of eight each playing on our own phone. I had an extra life and I was sandwiched between two diehard fans of The Office. I was set.

The game began and the first few questions were easy as they always are. What was the name of the company they work for? Which character wasn’t in the pilot? The questions got harder as the game went on. I got knocked off around question seven. That extra life came in handy and I am not ashamed to have used it. I got back in the game and got right back in a grove. Which character didn’t dress up like a cat at Halloween? Who passed out at the Christmas party?

Before I knew it everyone else that I was playing with was eliminated and it was just me left. Everyone gathered around my phone and we worked together to advance me forward. I got to question twelve and the world got quiet and time slowed down. Where did Jim and Pam have their first kiss? I thought it was on the booze cruise but my friend Debbie said it was after the Dundies which was hosted at a chain restaurant. I went with her answer and victory was mine. I got it right. I finally won after eleven months of playing HQ. I celebrated. My fellow players cheered. The bartender rang the bar bell. My friend from Miami texted me congratulations. I became an HQ champion! I won fourteen cents. I’m not sure how much it will be after taxes, but that doesn’t matter. I won HQ. I don’t have to play anymore!

Critically Rated at 16/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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September 27, 2018 · 8:31 pm

Fantasy Football

The NFL season is four weeks in and that means fantasy football is in full swing. Fantasy football is a game where you and your friends form a league and each person has their own team. It starts with a draft: each person picks real NFL players to fill out their own roster. Each week you play head to head against another friend, accumulating wins, losses, and points. There are surprise victories and stunning upsets. And a whole lot of shit talking. It’s not fantasy football without shit talking.

There is some skill involved, but it’s mostly luck. For example I currently have fifty points more than my league leader, but I’m in third place because I lost two close games and he is undefeated. I have more than a hundred points more the person in second, but she has won one more game than me so she’s better. Points are nice. Wins are what really matter though. As the great Vin Diesel says, “It doesn’t matter if you win by an inch or a mile. Winning is winning.” If you win you are obligated to let your opponent know that you beat them with an insulting GIF and a taunting message in the group chat. It’s the only way to play.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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November 28, 2017 · 7:47 pm

HQ

HQ is a trivia app that’s currently only available for iOS. There are a lot of trivia games out there, but HQ stands out for two reasons. The first is that it’s free to play but you can win real money. Secondly, it’s a live broadcast so you can’t just open it up and play. There are two games daily Monday through Friday (one at 3:00 p.m. EST and the other at 9:00 p.m. EST) and one game daily on the weekend (at 9:00 p.m. EST). They send you an alert when the game is about to begin, you open the app and join the game. The host, comedian Scott Rogowsky, comes out, explains the rules, gets you hyped, and starts powering through twelve questions. Some questions are easy, some are tricky, and some are really hard. Whoever goes the distance shares the pot with the other winners.

My brother-in-law told me about HQ a week ago. I’ve only played it four times since then, never getting past the eighth question. I’ve played a bunch of trivia games and this is one of my favorites. I like the fact that there are only one or two chances a day to play. It’s addictive but you can’t get your fix whenever you want. You’re on their time. There are a couple of crazy hard questions each game. They show you how many active players there are, I’ve seen 100,000+ playing and a savage question can eliminate tens of thousands at once. It makes you feel smart when you get it right. But you don’t feel bad if you get it wrong along side forty thousand other people.

If HQ sounds fun, that’s because it is. Download it for yourself and see. Use my referral code: Bmani429. This isn’t a paid ad, I get a bonus life for each referral. Join the bandwagon before it gets played out.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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July 17, 2016 · 12:37 pm

Pokemon Go

My thoughts on Pokemon Go: DON’T FUCKING DO IT. 
Critically Rated at 1/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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July 10, 2016 · 2:50 pm

Going to the Game by Myself

 I went to work yesterday and I didn’t feel much like working. I had an opportunity to leave early and so I took it. I clocked in at 10:30 and I clocked out at 10:45. I had the whole day ahead of me and I wasn’t going to let it go to waste. The Giants were playing the Diamondbacks at 1:05 and I was in the mood for some baseball. I started texting friends to see if anybody was down to go. Nobody could go on such short notice so I bought a standing room only ticket for myself and went alone. It was my first time going to the game by myself and I don’t think it will be my last. It was a lot of fun. I could do whatever I wanted. I didn’t have to settle for inferior beer. There was no debating where to go for food. I could make bathroom trips whenever I wanted and didn’t have to wait for anyone stuck in a longer line than me. And I wasn’t bored because I still talked baseball with the other fans around me. I feel like I paid a lot more attention to the game. I still prefer going with other people but now I know that I can go to the game whenever the mood strikes me. And going to the game is always better than watching it on TV. You can call me a loser but you can’t say I’m not a fan. Go Giants! 

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 28, 2016 · 2:12 pm

UNO (game, not the numero)

UNO is a card game similar to Crazy Eights, but you use a specially printed deck of UNO cards instead of using a regular deck of cards, because the creators wouldn’t make money if you played UNO with a regular deck of cards instead of their unique cards. UNO is pretty easy to learn. Everyone gets dealt seven cards and you try to be the first one to get rid of them all. There are a bunch of rules that some people follow and some people ignore, but one thing everyone can agree on is that you have to say “UNO” when you play your second-to-last card so that everyone else knows that you have one card left. I think that’s why they call it UNO but I’m not really sure.

I was inspired to write this post after playing UNO with a couple of friends. One of them had never played before, but we explained him the rules and he was kicking our ass a few games in. He won three or four games in a row. We chalked it up to beginner’s luck. A week later he drunkenly confessed that he cheated. It was completely out of the blue, like he was proud of cheating and wanted us to know. Don’t be that guy. Don’t be the guy who cheats at UNO. Especially not during a friendly game when there are no stakes. That’s not how you make friends. That’s how you lose them.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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February 19, 2015 · 4:44 pm

Rubik’s Cube

A Rubik’s Cube is the most frustrating toy ever created. When it’s completed it has six sides, each side has it’s own color, and each color has nine pieces. The cube has an internal pivoting mechanism that allows you to move the pieces around. You jumble it up and try to get the cube back to the original form so that each side is a solid color again. It sounds easy. It’s not. The twenty-six pieces can be rearranged approximately 519 quintillion different ways. There are all kinds of formulas and mathematical tricks to complete the Rubik’s cube and it’s possible to learn how to solve it in under ten seconds, but most people will never complete a Rubik’s Cube unless they peel off the stickers and rearrange them. Some people call it cheating; I call it thinking outside the box. Besides, I don’t have the patience to finish one, I just want people to think I do.

Critically Rated at 12/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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November 14, 2014 · 6:13 pm

Connect Four

Connect Four is a game in which two players take turns dropping discs into the vertical playing grid. Whoever gets four of their own discs in a row first wins. You can win horizontally, vertically, or diagonally. It’s a classic game, you’ve probably played it a million times growing up. It’s easy to learn and hard to master. It’s not like chess though, you only play Connect Four every so often. It’s not something that you play every single day so nobody is particularly great at it and the competition is fairly level. If you are really good at Connect Four, you should consider getting a new hobby because you’re fucking lame. This is the kind of game that you play when you have a friend over and the power goes out. Monopoly is too long and it’s way too easy to cheat at Battleship. Connect Four is ideal in this situation. You can play one game, best of three, or have a little tournament. It gets a little competitive sometimes, but nobody takes it too seriously. There’s no glory in winning Connect Four so there’s no shame in losing.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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July 24, 2014 · 2:14 pm

Bloody Knuckles

Bloody knuckles is a game where two players take turns punching each other on the knuckles until somebody gives up or someone makes you stop playing. It’s most often played by bored high school kids and drunk assholes at the bar. If you ever wake up with your hand hurting after a night of drinking, you were probably one of those drunk assholes playing it at the bar. It’s a game of machismo, a casual contest of strength that you play with your friends like arm wrestling or slap boxing. You’re not trying to hurt the other person necessarily, you’re simply trying to win and getting hurt is sometimes an unfortunate byproduct. Pain is a good thing though. That’s why people play games like bloody knuckles. It’s always entertaining watching people get hurt.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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June 7, 2014 · 9:00 am

Hot Lava Game

The Hot Lava Game is a children’s game where you pretend that the ground is made of hot lava. Obviously you can’t step on the ground or you will be burned. You can play it indoors on a rainy day, or outside on a playground when the weather is permitting. The rules are simple. You have to stay off the ground by any means necessary. For example: Start by getting off the ground and stand on the couch. Then jump to a chair. Then leap from the chair to the table. Then go from the table to the kitchen counter. Continue on. Just don’t touch the floor. That’s how you play Hot Lava. It’s a slower, tamer, and less glamorous version of parkour, and you’re far more likely to piss off Mom, but it’s a classic game and there are a million variations to it. All are acceptable as long as you don’t touch the floor. I can’t stress that enough.

Critically Rated at 13/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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May 18, 2014 · 5:22 am

Sweet or Sour (game)

When I was a kid I would play a game in the car called Sweet or Sour. It was a pretty simple game. You wave at a stranger in another car. If they wave back, they are sweet. If they don’t wave back, they are sour. You don’t get any points if you get somebody to wave back, and you don’t lose any points if they don’t wave back. We didn’t keep score. Nobody would win and nobody would lose. In retrospect it wasn’t much of a game. I was still good at it though. It’s probably not a game that I will teach my kids. It just conditions kids to be overly friendly and unsuspicious of strangers. It’s like telling them that strangers have the best candy.

Critically Rated at 7/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 28, 2014 · 1:16 pm

Dodgeball (game)

Dodgeball is one of the best games you played in gym class. Rules vary from schoolyard to schoolyard, but the rules are generally the same. Two teams hurl balls at each other, trying to peg the opposing players while trying to avoid getting pegged in return. If you get pegged, you’re out. If you catch a ball without it hitting the ground, the person who threw it is out and one of your teammates can come back in. The game is over when all of the players on a team are out. Then you switch sides and play again. Dodgeball victories are decided by winning the majority of games in a series, usually best of five or best of seven. Hitting someone in the face or head is called headhunting. It’s pretty satisfying to smack someone directly in face with a rubber ball, but it doesn’t count and you’ll be called out as punishment. You either love dodgeball or you hate it. There is no in-between.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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April 13, 2014 · 12:12 pm

Fans Who Leave Early

Fans who leave early aren’t really fans. You should never give up on your team. You should support them until the bitter end. Especially with baseball because it isn’t over until you get the final out. Besides, you’ll never experience the thrill of a walk-off win or an amazing comeback in overtime if you leave early. I don’t even understand why you would want to leave early. Tickets are expensive these days. You should see the complete game and get your money’s worth. Sure, you might want to beat traffic but there will still be traffic. Leaving early won’t help you any. In fact you should linger and stay longer, maybe kill some time at a restaurant or bar and let the roads thin out a bit. Take some time to reflect on the game you just saw with some friends and analyze the key plays and turn of events that affected the outcome. You don’t want to show up late and leave early like a Dodgers fan. People respect the Dodgers, but nobody respects Dodgers fans. Stay for the whole game. Don’t leave early.

Critically Rated at 4/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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January 21, 2014 · 7:50 pm

The Game of Life (game) (obviously)

The Game of Life is a popular board game made by Milton Bradley. I think that it’s more fun and entertaining than Monopoly. Monopoly can ruin friendships and I’ve never experienced a major blowup while playing Life. The game play is simple. You start at the beginning, you spin a wheel to determine how many spaces you can move, and you get to decide your fate. The game gives you options. Do you want to go to college or just jump out into the work force? Do you want to get married or stay single? Do you want kids? Do you want to be a rock star or a scientist? You can buy insurance, you can buy stocks, they even have promissory notes. Doesn’t that sound like a fun way to spend a rainy Saturday? The best part about The Game of Life is spinning the wheel at the start of your turn. It always reminded me of the Big Wheel on The Price is Right. It clicks and it clacks and it spins around. It’s way more fun than rolling dice.

Critically Rated at 14/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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September 17, 2013 · 11:43 am

Monopoly (game)

Every single household in the world has a set of Monopoly. Every family’s house, every single person’s apartment, every college dorm, every cabin, every teepee, every igloo… virtually every single dwelling imaginable has at least one a set of Monopoly. Everyone has the regular classic version or a themed version. I have 2 sets of Monopoly in my apartment. One regular set and one with a Planet Earth theme. We have never played either one and they are both still unopened. I think they came with the house. And even though we never play it and never plan on it, every couple of months someone will suggest a game night, and Monopoly is always the first suggestion and the first rejection. Nobody has time for a complete game of Monopoly. I think the first game is still being played somewhere. The only way to win the game is to cheat, and the best way to cheat is to be the banker. And nothing destroys relationships faster than a corrupt game of Monopoly.

Critically Rated at 7/17

Written, Rated, and Reviewed by Brendan H. Young

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