5 Fictional Movie & TV Show Games We'd Love To Play (& 5 We'd Stay Far Away From)
It's not uncommon for popular movie or TV show characters to make their fans jealous by having a blast while playing cool made-up games created to fit their fictional universe. And though these games are often eventually brought into the real world for fans to enjoy, they are almost never as fun or exciting as they seem on the screen.
On the other hand, there are examples whose rules are simply too scary and dangerous even for the bravest gamers to attempt them. Some of these fictional games certainly need real-life versions ASAP, while there are a few that should never see the light of the day.
10 Would Love To Play: The Cones Of Dunshire
This Parks and Recreation fictional board game has a complex yet, for many fans of the show who are true geeks at heart, an interesting set of rules. It is designed for eight to twelve players who can choose between fantasy characters such as wizards, warriors, alchemists, shamans, and more. Plus, there's also a Ledgerman role whose task is to keep the score while players are strategically building civilizations to earn four cones to win.
In the series, "The Architect" of The Cones of Dunshire (along with its follow-up The Adventure Continues: The Winds of Tremorrah) is nerdy state auditor Ben Wyatt. According to him, the game became "the ninth-highest-selling multi-player figurine-based strategy fantasy sequel game in history." However, fans are still desperately waiting for it to become reality.
9 Stay Away From: Gryphons And Gargoyles
First introduced in Riverdale's third season, Gryphons and Gargoyles (also known as G&G) is a made-up role-playing board game somewhat based on the famous Dungeons and Dragons – except it's far more dangerous and sinister than its real-life counterpart. In other words, G&G is invented to stimulate delusion in players' minds, which eventually becomes an obsession with a tall creepy creature made of sticks named The Gargoyle King.
Furthermore, the game master has a big role in creating the madness as they design quite dangerous quests, which are (on the whole) incorporated into reality. So, it's not surprising that the disturbed participants can easily end up dead or at least in a hospital bed due to, for example, being poisoned from drinking "gargoyle blood."
8 Would Love To Play: OASIS
Ready Player One's game OASIS is every hardcore gamer's dream. It's a massively multiplayer online simulation game where, to put it shortly, anything is possible. In other words, as long as the players don't take off their VR glasses, they can escape from the boring reality into a digital utopia and become whomever they wish without feeling the difference between those two worlds.
Apart from the right equipment, this immersive experience requires only the power of the player's imagination, which is endless just like the game's content and possibilities (thanks to the fact that it contains all of the human knowledge). Unfortunately, because VR technology today isn't on the same level as the one in Ready Player One, OASIS still sounds too good to be true.
7 Stay Away From: Jumanji
It might be an unpopular opinion because the movies make jungle adventures look so fun and thrilling, but, would it actually be like that in reality? Whether it's the board game or a video game from the Jumanji franchise, both versions force its players to survive in an unpredictable and dangerous jungle environment until they finish it… or, they can be captured forever in its inner dimension along with poisonous plants, murderous creatures, and traps.
Just remember Robin Williams' character from the 1995 movie who was Jumanji's hostage for almost three decades! At the end of the day, it sounds more like a dangerous mission than a fun school trip.
6 Would Love To Play: Tri-Dimensional Chess
The Queen's Gambit recently started to popularize chess among the Netflix audience, so it's surely a good time to remember the Stark Trek's even cooler Tri-D version of this game. In comparison to traditional chess, its pieces can move up or down the floating boards but, besides that, the rest of the game rules weren't originally invented within the show.
However, today Tri-D's complicated system can be found on its creator Jens Meder's website and the game itself can be bought in real-life – in case some fans are willing to master it just like Kirk and Spock did in the series.
5 Stay Away From: Zathura
No wonder Zathura (from the 2005 sci-fi movie Zathura: A Space Adventure) bears a resemblance to Jumanji since both fictional board games belong to the same franchise. But, instead of a tropical forest, Zathura transports its players (along with their house) into outer space where many dangers lurk and affect their lives: from robots and meteor showers to reptilian-looking aliens.
Although space mysteries intrigue many people, even thinking about exploring the unknown of it can easily turn into a phobia – especially when it's forced by a merciless board game.
4 Would Love To Play: Bamboozled
It can seem illogical because of its (at first sight) unclear and random rules, but, as time goes by, it easily turns into a highly competitive game show according to the season 8 Friends episode, "The One With The Baby Shower."
To sum things up, Bamboozled requires a host and contestants who have to answer trivia questions while doing some challenging things like holding their breath, hopping on one foot, or repeating the answers backward. To make things more exciting after spinning the fictional Wheel of Mayhem, there's also a hungry monkey, super speedy speed round, Google cards, and a bunch of other terms that were never truly explained. But, it doesn't matter because Ross, Chandler, and Joey made it look so fun that the game deserves its real-life variant.
3 Stay Away From: Le Bail's Puzzle Box
If playing the game of hide-and-seek sounds like a fun way to spice up a wedding night, then make sure it doesn't involve the cursed Le Bail's puzzle box. The player must pull a card from this mysterious thing, which will randomly choose the game to play. In most cases, they will pick out something harmless like chess or Old Maid but in the 2019 horror movie Ready or Not, the unlucky bride ended up being the victim of the Le Domas family's deadly hide-and-seek ritual.
Considering the fact that the main goal of the game is to kill the newcomer and that it can result in injury or death for any party member, the game definitely deserves a place on this list.
2 Would Love To Play: Chardee MacDennis
Also known as the Game of Games, Chardee MacDennis belongs to the It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia's universe and seems like an amusing bar game for a wild night out with friends. It begins with casual wine drinking, whereupon two opposing teams have fifteen minutes to finish three stages of the game (mind, body, and spirit).
Among other things, these categories include trivia, puzzles, and even physical challenges; yet the most thrilling thing about it is that the game (at some point) allows drinking and cursing along with cheating – as long the players don't get caught.
1 Stay Away From: Uncanny Annie
Uncanny Annie is a sinister fictional board game from the Into the Dark season two premiere by the same name that literally stabs its players in the back if they break the rules as well as refuse or fail to finish it within an hour. Besides, the rules are quite simple: pick a card, pass its wicked challenge and start spelling out Annie's name on the board.
Otherwise, draw a Mischief Card as another chance to survive, which will summon terrifying creatures that increase the risks of unfortunate consequences. However, the most spine-chilling part is that the game (with some hide-and-seek, "Truth or Dare." and Bloody Mary elements) captures its players in a black void echoing Annie's creepy laughs.
No comments: