Before landing on this page, you and I were only separated by a mere three degrees. Now we can be one on the web. That's not the definition of technological singularity but it should be.
With this tumblog, I promise kittens and balls of yarn for the kittens to play with. There will be some making out and a lot of hand-holding. I hope that when you are lonely and lost on the outmost corners of the interweb, you can come here and find yrself and feel the good vibrations. You are special and no one can touch that!
Your Pal Mal
On Why Apples to Apples is the Rock of Love of Board Games
The night before last several friends and I played a four-hour game of Risk Godstorm (and that was only 2 of the 5 rounds since most of us had 9 to 5 jobs to wake up for in the morning.) Risk takes a good heaping of foresight, careful calculations, and a mathematically sound plan, as well as several back up plans in case your continent gets conquered, your temple stolen or your gods banished. Apples to Apples, on the other hand, is founded on the complete meaninglessness of it all— the game takes words that we ascribe meaning to and forces us to ignore their signifieds, replenishing connotations simply with the six cards given. Often the winner of Apples to Apples is the one who can offer the “stupidest”, and therefore most humorous, match. With no learning curve, no emphasis on brain power, and no need for any sort of second-order thought, we’re left with a false sense of achievement once the game is over. Yet I can’t help but really, really love it! Probably for the same reason I find myself watching reality TV. Both reward those players who can offer the most seemingly stupid responses to the delight and dumbfoundedness of those watching.
