HUMOUR: "Gamers gone mad!"

Hi Everyone,

I saw this the other day ago and wanted to share it:

Eric Burgess posted this at the SCGD group. It was a reaction tojokes that
Candyland was banned from the Games Gathering playing area.

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That Candyland ban is really for your own safety. Read this cautionary article that I was forwarded just this last week:

LOS ANGELES - Thirteen people were injured at a 'board game convention' over the Labor Day weekend when a passerby unknowingly brought a copy of Candyland into a room filled with self-described"hard-core" gamers. Although Candyland, published by toy giant Hasbro, is thought by most to be a harmless game of chance, gluttony, and childhood fun, the mere presence of the game, with its typically American draw-and-move mechanics, sent most of the 'gamers' in the room into convulsions.

Staff at the hotel hosting the convention rushed to the aid of thestricken gamers but basic medical attention and pleas of "it's just a stupid kids' game" did nothing to alleviate their suffering. Only when a quick-thinking younger player grabbed the offending game and tossed it out a window did the gamers start to recover from the hives, cold sweats, and nervous tics that broke out when Candyland was innocently revealed to the room.

Two of the gamers, who witnesses described as "WBC enthusiasts enjoying a rousing game of Flat Top", had to be rushed to nearby UCLA medical center before being released by doctors, who said they were"perfectly fine, if a bit silly". The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had previously issued a warning that the presence of games published by US mass-market companies can be harmful to so-called 'hardcore gamers'. CDC Game Division Head, Dane NiBrugha, is quoted as saying, "The public shouldnot assume that these gamers have built up an immunity to games like Sorry, the Game of Life or even Risk just because they played them as a child. Extreme caution should be exercised when bringing these sensitive individuals into contact with any game with roll-and-move mechanics, more than one die, or the rules printed on the inside ofthe box top."

The state legislature in Ohio is even considering a bill to criminalize bringing mass-produced US games to any convention where gamers in large groups may be at risk. Hasbro is opposing thel egislation, even as it has negotiated an exception for its borderline offering "HeroScape." The gamer community remains in strong support ofthe bill, having experienced a near scare at Origins this year involving someone walking around with "Chutes and Ladders." Although no one was injured in that incident, many at the convention expressed fear when they heard that the
individual was asking for players to try out the new variant he had designed.

I enjoyed it. I hope you do too!

Shalom,
Maksim-Smelchak.