molly-roth – PLAYTIME

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on May 2, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play. Simon says . . . no, really, please stop.

SIMON CAN’T STOP SAYING THINGS ABOUT POLITICS

Number of players: 2, or as many as can logistically engage in a single conversation

Description of gameplay: Any number of players may participate in this game, time and space permitting. One player (Simon) just goes on and on about his or her political opinions. Other players may nod quietly, disagree, or leave the room.

Game ends when…: Victory is declared for Simon when all opponents walk away to get a drink, or when the first opponent says: “Can we just talk about something else for a while?” Simon loses when forced to concede: “You know, I’d never thought of it that way.”

Missed the last Games Adults Play? Check it out here.

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on April 24, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play. Seriously, call your mother.

TELEPHONE (YOUR PARENTS ONCE IN A WHILE)

Number of players: 2-5, depending on remarriages

Description of gameplay: One player (Offspring) reminds him/herself to call their parents. Points are awarded for every successful phone conversation. Leaving a voicemail message counts for half a point, as does listening to any voicemail from a parent that lasts over a minute.

Game ends when…: Let’s not talk about the end of this game. It’s too sad.

Look for the next installment of Games Adults Play in the coming weeks. Missed the last one? Check it out here.

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on April 17, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play. We wave the flag with renewed energy this week.

RECAPTURE THE FLAG…GING ENTHUSIASM FOR THINGS YOU ONCE LOVED

Number of players: 1, or however many you can convince to play with you

Description of gameplay: Player attempts to rekindle their youthful passion by playing in an adult sports league, attending live performances, or taking up a new creative hobby.

Game ends when…: The player wins when he or she successfully convinces his/her friends and co-workers to see their band or improv team perform live. Another path to victory is an entire holiday season spent giving away handmade gifts, crafted with a newly formed skill.

Look for the next installment of Games Adults Play in the coming weeks. Missed the last one? Check it out here.

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on April 9, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play. This week’s game is a hop, skip, and a jump—and repeat—until retirement.

JOBSCOTCH

Number of players: 1

Description of gameplay: Player jumps from job to job attempting to find satisfaction and financial security while avoiding stress, poverty, and harassment. Each game lasts roughly 45 years.

Game ends when…: The player wins when he or she retires with benefits and savings.

Look for the next installment of Games Adults Play in the coming weeks. Missed the last one? Check it out here.

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on March 13, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play. This week, egg, you’re it!

FREEZE EGG

Number of players: 1 + as many doctors as it takes

Description of gameplay: In a game of endurance, a player consults with a medical team to postpone procreation indefinitely by preserving her eggs. There is no opponent in this game. Freeze Egg, much like golf, is primarily a challenge of the player’s own skills.

Game ends when…: A player becomes the winner when she gives birth, changes her mind and adopts a child, or decides “You know what? Kids are kind of a hassle anyway. Forget the whole thing.”

Missed last week’s game? Find it here. Look for the latest installments of Games Adults Play in the coming weeks.

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on March 14, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Don’t get caught with the . . . macronutrient! Comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play.

KEEP AWAY (FROM CARBS)

Number of players: 1

Description of gameplay: Haven’t you heard? Carbohydrates are the things that make you unhealthy now. Keep Away (From Carbs) constitutes a player’s ongoing attempts to avoid eating delicious starches and sugars.

Game ends when…: The player wins when he or she develops six-pack abs, but the game resets to zero any time the player eats a bowl of spaghetti in the dark. Winning this game is also losing, paradoxically, because cake is delicious.

Missed last week’s game? Find it here. Look for the latest installments of Games Adults Play in the coming weeks.

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on February 6, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play. The name of this week’s game? Call me!

DODGE CALL

Number of players: 2

Description of gameplay: One player (the Caller) attempts to force the other player (the Dodger) into responding to their pervasive phone calls and texts. The occasion for this correspondence is not important: Maybe the two players have already made plans, maybe one is an old friend who is really going through it while the other can’t with this right now. Gameplay is the same regardless.

Game ends when…: The Caller wins if the Dodger responds at any point in the future. The Dodger wins if he/she can avoid responding until the two see each other in person next. Bonus points are applied if they successfully pretend not to have received the Caller’s correspondence in the first place.

Look for the next installment of Games Adults Play in the coming weeks. Missed the last one? Check it out here.

Games Adults Play: A Comic Series

Posted on February 6, 2018March 4, 2019 by Rebecca Bednarz

Pin the Blame on the Colleague, Recapture the Flag, Telephone (Your Parents Once in a While)—comic Josh Gondelman and artist Molly Roth share a list of just a few of their favorite games that adults play.

Children play all the time. They play by instinct or according to organized rules. They play until they are told to stop playing, it’s getting dark outside. The conventional wisdom is that adults lose the ability or interest in play. But that’s just not true. Adults engage in play as well. It’s just that the games themselves change.

PIN THE BLAME ON THE COLLEAGUE

Number of players: 2+

Description of gameplay: Colleagues attempt to deflect responsibility for a project gone wrong onto one another. Techniques may range from passive aggressive emails to outright trash talking during closed door meetings. Players may attempt to assign blame whether or not they are “It” (the player currently considered responsible) at the time.

Game ends when…: The game officially ends when blame is assigned by a referee (boss), but previous game results may be challenged for as long as any single original player remains at the same place of employment.

Look for the next installment of Games Adults Play in the coming weeks.