Wednesday, June 03, 2009

Stringlish - would you buy this game?



The above illustration is for a game concept I came up with last year right before the economy blew apart. I'd like your help in seeing if it's worth a damn. The concept is one that involves stringing different phrases, titles, words and cultural references together--sort of like Dennis Miller would do when he was still funny, except hopefully more fun for more people. I have used the concept when trying to warm-up or loosen-up teams for brainstorming sessions or just for breaking ice with new working groups--I welcome you to freely do the same if it seems of use. I could try and make it sound fashionably neuro-scientific but I have nothing but anecdotal proof that it works at what it's intended to do, and that people like it in it's limited use so far.

Oh, one more thing: The point? I'd love to be able to put this into some physical or cheaply downloadable format (examples, instructions, etc) via paypal and give the idea and the proceeds to my kids as a gift that, hopefully, might keep on giving as one enters middle school and the other rises to high school and they look forward to paying for college, or a start-up.

I've bored you enough already. Will you give me some feedback on what you think of the concept? Here's my original notes from an early morning, July 2008:



Okay, it was 12:30 AM Monday and I'm watching Spike's MXC waiting for Daily Show and Colbert. Did I mention MXC is a repurposed Japanese game show with dubbed English? Imagine Samurai standup mated with the old British show It's a Knockout. Yeah, some shows are funnier than others and it's likely an acquired insomniac taste for us Y-chromosome sufferers.

Anyway, one of the hosts, "Vic Romano," introduces a contestant as a "Shotgun Wedding Planner." Heh. A few minutes later, he drops another boolean job description: Trailer Park Ranger. They do that lots, in between the puns about poo, STDs and serial killer jokes.

Finally, it's 1:00 AM and time for The Daily Show.

But I can't stop the boolean job title thing running in my head and, yet, the job title thing seems so limiting. The best I can do still has the lurid themes of MXC:

Native tongue bather.
Nocturnal Emissions Checker
Maid of Honorable Discharge

Okay, I did kind of like that last one. But shouldn't it have more zing, more roll, more pointless associations? Sure..

The earlier lamo becomes the longer, lamer Nocturnal emissions check's in the mail bag o' donuts. (5 links - did u see them?)

Hmm. Skate Board of Directors Guild of America. Dining halls of Montezuma's revenge of the nerds?

Okay, by now, you're thinking two things. This fouro guy needs 1) a life and/or 2) psychiatric help. Bah, get lost in translation.

Somebody tell me there's a parlor game or meme already out there about this phonetic linking thing. And if there isn't, why the hell not? And if not, in the spirit of being aware of all internet traditions, I christen it Ringlish in honor of the fine culture that inspires MXC and the better-known mangled wordsong called Engrish.

There it is: Ringlishâ„¢, a string of known or recognizable phrases, terms or titles joined for as long as you can keep adding with the requirement that one links the next and that sustainable nonsense is the point of the thing. Extra points for efficient linking i.e.: least use of filler words between linked chains of words. For example:

Big bang a gong show me the money back guarantee (5 links, no filler!)

Employees must wash hands to work, hearts to God is in the Details Magazine stand and delivery room with a view. (8 links, one filler: Stand and Deliver is modified to Delivery to keep things moving s0 it counts as filler word!)

Am I obsessing on this? Sure. But so did Rob Angel and look how famous he is today. Ahh, mind your own businessweekend of the world as we know it.

Imagine the thematic options, extra points for staying on topic. Pencils ready? You have one minute:

MOVIES: Missile Command Decision at Dawn of the Dead Zone Troop (filler!) Beverly Hills Have Eyes of Laura Mars Needs Women in Love Story of O-klahoma. (14 unique links, but since it's topical, 2 points per, instead of 1 each.)

For those not playing at home:

Missile Command
Command Decision
Decision at Dawn
Dawn of the Dead
Dead Zone
Zone Troop[ers]
Troop Beverly Hills
[The] Hills Have Eyes
[The] Eyes of Laura Mars
Mars Needs Women
Women in Love
Love Story
[The] Story of O
Oklahoma

Here we have one filler: Zone Troop[ers] so .5 of a point deducted; one Flufferâ„¢: Story of O is a porno (2 extra points). The is acceptably dropped from Titles, as in The Hills Have Eyes and The Eyes of Laura Mars, etc. Otherwise half the movies, songs and books written will kludge things up. Total Score: 30.5

Home of the Brave New World Order form follows function button fly fishing hole in my bucket list Maker's Mark.

13 links - did you count them all? 13 points.
Phew. Are your eyes glazed? If you made it this far, thanks for reading. Yes, I liked the name Stringlish better after sitting with it a few days. Good choice? Well, what do you think of the game?

3 Comments:

At 6/03/2009 8:54 PM, Anonymous rockandrollguru said...

Ton of fun!!! Very cool improv-type game...outstanding creativity exercise.

I think you've got something special here. Go for it!

 
At 2/13/2010 11:04 AM, Blogger brokenstriker said...

good choice ... reminds me a little of Wheel of Fortune's Before and After puzzles ... but turning your brain on and encouraging it to go someplace new and creative ... excellent
not to mention the potential of drinking game variants

 
At 2/13/2010 11:28 AM, Blogger fouro said...

thansk for the feedback! Gonna see how to best get it rolling.

best

fouro/mark

 

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