Playing Scrabble With Cats

Is there anything more frustrating than being addicted to a computer game which isn’t a social phenomenon? I mean, if you say “I can’t stop playing Angry Birds on my iPhone” or “I’ve played World of Warcraft for 45 days over the last year” then you’re usually greeted by a resounding “OMG! I know!” Or something of the like by fellow tech-savvy friends. But what about the likes of us who are compelled to play games which aren’t marketing and media causes célèbres?

With Zynga’s Facebook-based FarmVille game totalling more than 80m active users, it begs the question as to how many people are playing (and therefore addicted to) less popular games, some of which are on social networking sites. Maybe all of us are addicted to a game (or in my case three) but keep it quiet as if it’s some sort of filthy habit. I would much rather my hypothetical children were addicted to Bejeweled than Meth-amphetamines...although I’m guessing it wouldn’t do much for their street cred or future careers as bohemian artistes. I seriously doubt Russell Brand’s anecdotes would be as self-deprecating or as funny if his ‘fix’ was five levels of marble-based arcade game Peggle rather than heroin.

In an ever-increasingly post-modern society, whereby we’re projecting our identity through our clothes, music choices, cars, pets et cetera, is an increase in ‘casual gaming’ the newest way of putting the ‘social’ into ‘social networking’?

With traditional board games seeing a revival in recent years and reporters quick to point the finger at it being down to “austerity” and “value for money” in a world filled with Chinese-imported plastic tat; I would argue that this new surge in enthusiasm is down to the availability of online versions of the game on Facebook et al. I have played Scrabble with strangers, my girlfriend and my mum for the last four years and we have never unfolded a board or picked out a tile from a cloth bag. I assure you it’s just as fun, but without the hassle of having to coordinate the personnel to the same dining room table, or as it is with my family - like trying to herd cats.

I for one hope that social networking improves in it’s security, its adaptability and potential to bring joy to the lives of many, be it through playing Uno, Scrabble, Bejeweled, Zuma, Pool, Boggle or Tetris with like-minded people across the world. So please do your part in promoting positive international relations - play games with strangers, enjoy it and have fun in the games you loved as a child. Make Marcel Proust and The United Nations proud.

I would like to use this sentence to give due copyright to all trade names used, and to remind my girlfriend that it’s her go on Scrabble.