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3 (More) Games You Must Play

November 17th, 2009 - Games - 17 Comments »

Back in April, I wrote about three original games that you need to incorporate into your life. Well, it’s been a few months now, and three more have come to mind.

Grocery Carting
Grocery shoppers are notorious for walking away from their (unguarded) cart to grab a few items throughout their shopping stint. The goal here is to place an item in the unguarded cart without them knowing and see if they check out with it. Obviously, the more absurd the item, the more points you get. Getting them to check out with an extra jar of pickles is one thing, but watching them pay for an 18-pack of Natty Light they didn’t want is a thrill unlike any other.

Reunion
If you’re hanging out with Neil, and Neil sees someone he went to school with (say, Samantha), get Neil to tell you as many details as possible about her (teachers she had, neighborhood she grew up in, etc). Then, you excitedly approach Samantha as though you haven’t seen her in years, reminiscing about those classes you had together, the neighborhood memories, the one slow dance you shared Sophomore year (your favorite dance ever!), followed by an apology for “that mean thing” you said about that haircut she had in middle school. If you get her to say that she remembers you, you win.

Fourth Meal Call*
Make a pact with three or four of your friends that each of you get one Fourth Meal Call a year. What this means is that at any time, you can call one of the other members of the pact, say “fourth meal”, and they have to meet you at Taco Bell in 15 minutes. It doesn’t matter if they were sleeping, in the middle of a talkument with their spouse, at a concert, or even getting married. They have to stop what they are doing and meet you at the Bell for a gordita and some cinnamon twists. Oh, and try to convince them that them paying was part of the pact too.

In the comments section, either let us know of another original game, or go play one of these and tell us about your experience.

*It is helpful to have a good punishment in place for those who refuse to follow through on the pact. I got the call around 2am one morning and just pretended I didn’t have good enough service to understand what they were saying. North meal? I’m sorry, I don’t know what that means. Goodbye.
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  • http://intensedebate.com/people/joannamuses joanna

    If you have a slightly mean streak you can take Grocery Carting up another level and go for embarrassing items. Family planning supplies, feminine hygiene products (for guys), magazines not appropriate for their gender

  • http://intensedebate.com/people/evdaddy evdaddy

    we are definitely playing Grocery Carting on the writing retreat.

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  • Anna

    I have had the reunion game done to me, in the Perimeter Apple store by some man recruited by Ian Allen who almost had me in tears because he was hurt so bad after my cousin broke up with him. While funny afterwards, don't be surprised if Samantha breaks down in tears or vomits.

  • http://breakingthrough.tumblr.com/ Jeremy

    I have a new favorite thing in the world – Fourth Meal, the game. On How I Met Your Mother, Barney and Marshall do "slap bets". It's a bet made between the two of them on something, and the wagers are that the winner gets to slap the loser as hard as possible, with no recourse – at any point in time in the future, without warning. If you lose, you know you have one hard face slap coming, but you have no idea when.

    One I used to play a lot as a teenager was the "Look Up" game. You catch someone's eye in public (restaurant, grocery store, nearby car, etc.) and as soon as they notice you looking at them, you divert your eyes to something just above them (except there's nothing there). Keep looking back and forth between them and that spot above them until they look up. The instant they do, look away as if it never happened.

  • Adam

    Greatest grocery store game (it's called "The Grocery Store Game" not "Grocery Carting" by the way) accomplishment…..a two gallon jar of pickled eggs.

    Ultimate grocery store game accomplishment (though, to my knowledge, never pulled off)…a basketball goal.

    Greatest reunion moment….Elizabeth's "Miss Greer" Pageant

    • http://www.mymorgue.org hayne

      "Miss Greer"… ummm… a swing and a miss.
      "Miss El Dorado".
      (Selling line… Ms. Patrick's 7th grade Math class.)

      • Adam

        I'm sorry to offend you and all of the great Upstate.

        Miss El Dorado was glorious. Do you remember the karate dance?

  • Jeff

    One thing I've always wanted try but never had the courage is a game called the "Ikea Kickout". Its pretty simple. Go to Ikea with a bunch of people, and the last person to get kicked out loses. There are clearly some minor flaws in this game, and the possibility of getting arrested, but I think the concept is awesome.

  • http://bryanallain.com/ bryan a

    grocery carting sounds amazing. i cant wait to do it to my wife the next time we're at a store together.

  • Bryan

    There's this crazy game I used to play that involved a deck of cards. Each player would put down a card that followed suit and when a player couldn't follow suit, they would crazily throw down an 8 to change suits. It was wild, though I can't remember what the game was called.

  • Brett

    Adam-

    I rarely comment, but when you recalled the pickled egg adventure…I got goose bumps. That is stuff legends are made of.

    We thought we were amazing…and for that night, we were.

  • Brett

    Oh ya…as far as a game…I am trying to return our economy to the bartering system. So far, I have discovered that Finish Line is not willing to barter shoes for poultry.

    I would love to know if and where you have any success.

  • Mary

    "talkument". I like it.

  • Amanda

    Not sure if you have heard of "Knock and Don't Run"… You go to a door, knock, and don't run.
    For further information and excellent examples:
    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uoxcZiWK79c&fe…

  • Kerry

    I got Reunion-ed a few years ago. I was flying home from somewhere and the friends who picked me up brought along a guy I had never met. My flight was delayed and, apparently, they spent the entire delay filling him in on EVERYTHING they knew about me. He spent the entire 45 minute ride home trying to convince me that we had met – how else would he know all this stuff??? When we finally got to my house, they all burst out laughing and confessed as I got out of the car. Jerks.

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