AAiddennium » BLOG «

I’ve been a victim of a trend for the whole week in Vilnius. That was a trend that I like and which tends to be a unique phenomenon. I am talking about games in bars, clubs, and at friends.

I faced that for the first time two years ago in the “Baltic Sound” festival in a tent of the Play club, where a company of dizzy strangers laid pieces of Jenga; as well as on the second day of the wedding of Vika and Julius, where we played Twister, Monopoly, Alias, and some other games instead of old-fashioned alcoholism.

Last week I formed definitions in the “Funky Monkey” club (Alias), built towers in the “Play” club (Jenga), raised beans at Rimas (Bonanza), eat fish sushi (Sushizock im Gockelwok) and built districts (Citadels) at Julius. Every second bar or club offered table football which I don’t like personally, but I support its idea. And the old men pretending artists were playing checkmate at the CAC cafe.

Board games in public spaces are a cool way to start communication with strangers, keep relationship with friends and also that’s a perfect alternative to social alcoholism. We’ll see what games are waiting for me today. Are you playing something today too?

This year we celebrated studio X-mas in the studio with our own home-made food and playing Nintendo Wii games in front of a projected screen. That was my first longer experience at Wii console in spite of Games Convention last year.

The eyes of the adults were twinkling as much as of their kids. My eyes would twinkle too if I hadn’t been tired after my deadline and a night of baking kūčiukai. So I glanced at everything critically evaluating both, advantages and disadvantages.

Nintendo Wii is played by a distant controller with motion detection, vibration, and a speaker inside. Some games require an additional attachable smaller controller. Before beginning a new game, instructions are usually shown in the screen how to play (unless the controlling is absolutely intuitive, i.e. boxing into the air). Usually, you have to imitate real-life actions, for example, if you play tennis, you wave the controller as if it was a racket. Up to four people can play at once.

During the party, we played three different games. They were “Rayman: Raving Rabbids 2“, “Wii Sports“, and “Mario Kart“. We had fun and it looked funny taking a detached view, when adult people were swinging hands, jumping, and performing in front of a screen. I’d say, that Wii games are perspective for parties. But also a lot depends on the games themselves. For example, racing game “Mario Kart” seemed to me oriented to small kids and didn’t rule to me as much as to some colleagues. “Wii Sports” was put in a boring shape, although everyone could create a personalized avatar. All avatars were like plastic characters from some toy building bricks with American strained smiles.

“Rayman Raving Rabbids 2” was the best for parties, in my opinion. It contained much humorous animation and hooligan tasks. You had to choose a rabbit in the beginning which you will play with and do different things in different levels. They say, there are 50 minigames. For example, you have to phone to each other in the cinema while a supervisor doesn’t see you. The players raise the controllers up and listen to some humbling, until the lights go on in the hall. Then they let them down and write text messages quickly pressing the main button [A] in the controller. Another level gives you another task. You have to shake a bottle of aerated drink (shake a controller), pop it up (press [A]), and pour it into your mouth. After that the rabbit gives such a belch, that the stream of air not only throws nearby standing pigeons, but also messes half of the city. The rabbit which makes most harm wins. It’s very funny when solid and polite people temporarily being rabbits belch.

Wii-game parties at work are probably the only way to give vent to your anger on your bosses so that everyone stays happy. To play with your friends is also funny. It’s only important to choose the right games.