Posted by Bob Mackey
Remember the old schoolyard game, "telephone?" It was (and still is, I imagine) a charming little-time waster--from a time before portable gaming devices--where a whispered message is passed down a line of people until it comes out ass-backwards and possibly profane by the time it reaches the last person. This game isn't just good for laughs; it's also a perfect statement about the human condition--no matter what we say, we will always be misunderstood. And now, this fun and possibly existential-crisis causing diversion has jumped into the digital age with the new game-based website, Broken Picture Telephone.
While it uses a different medium of misunderstanding, the rules of broken picture telephone don't differ much from the rules of the old kids' game. Basically, a game of BPT starts with a simple word or words, describing something that must be drawn by the reader. This reader's picture is then interpreted into text by another budding artist (not knowing the intention of the previous artist) who then draws what they think the original picture was supposed to represent. When a game ends (and each player can only contribute to a game once), the final result is a text-based description of the accumulated miscommunication of many people. If this sounds complicated, check out a few of the games that have been archived on the site; it really helps to see a few examples.
The only problem with Broken Picture Telephone is the site's popularity; I originally planned on blogging about it early in the week, but it's been down many-a time since then. It looks like they've had a few donations, though, because things seem to be running a little smoother than they were a few days ago. Donate a few bucks to BPT if you can--it's a neat little project that really needs to stick around.
Related Links:
Indie Dev Moment: Blush
Super Obama World. Nothing More Needs to Be Said.
WTFriday: Are You Bad Enough to Save Pamela Anderson from Colonel Sanders?
+ DIGG
+ DEL.ICIO.US
+ REDDIT
About Bob Mackey
For a brief period of time I was Bull from TV's
Night Court, but some of you may know me from the humor column I wrote for Youngstown State University's The Jambar, Kent State University's The Stater, and Youngstown's alternative newspaper, The Walruss. I'm perhaps most well-known for my bi-weekly pieces on Something Awful. I've also blogged for Valley24.com and have written articles for EGM, 1UP, GameSpite and Cracked. For all of my writing over the years, I have made a total of twenty American dollars. It's also said that I draw cartoons, which people have described with words such as "legible." I kidnapped the Lindbergh Baby and am looking to do so again in the future.
If unsatisfied, please return unused portion for partial refund.