Kid's Games

[wolven7]

When I was younger, I would play a mean game of Truth Or Dare. That's literal, mind you: I was fucking Mean. There was no escape, for those who took the easy way out, in choosing "truth," and gods help you if you reneged on either option. It was pretty fun and pretty brutal times...

But, became a man, childish things, etc. Right? Well, not exactly, no. I think there's some sociological benefit to games like ToD, and to the kind of "Post Secret" mentality we've got , in the world, today, and it's not only the voyeuristic rush it gives us, when we're in it. It's the act of testing our groups waters, with relative safety and assurance. Unless you are a complete sociopath, the desire to be a member of the in-group will urge you forward, gently, and you'll be open and honest, as you participate. And if you are a sociopath, you might have found yourself an in-group of the same. That's when the real fun can start...

But I digress (though you don't know it). You see, last night, I was thinking about old times, nights on playgrounds when people hated me, wondering what someone would do next. Old games, old friends, new games, new friends, and it Hit me POW! Out Of Context Honesty. Someone asks you a question, whispered in your ear, and you answer for the whole group to hear. No context, no explanation, just the answer to their question, no matter how deep or personal or shallow. Now, it has potential, but it doesn't work, in person, too well; there's not enough action, and squirming, to keep the group interested, for that. Especially an inebriated group. In fact, I figure it'd work better in this kind of format.

So, I want to test it out. Comments are screened. Ask me anything, and I will answer, with your name, but without context, in a post tomorrow.

Also, as a secondary curiosity, where do you think the benefits and purpose, if any, of games like ToD lie? Answers to that one will be unscreened, so you should maybe make them separate from the questions.

Testing, testing...

Comments

[ladylabyrinth.livejournal.com]

I think ToD and other similar games serve 2 purposes. First, it brings members of a group closer, in a fashion similar to hazing, but with less deliberate tearing down of the members. Humiliations, galore - but as truths are outed and dares performed, there is also a measure of respect doled out to each person. The Cognitive Dissonance is lessened (though not completely dissapated), while the bonding remains the same.

Second, it serves as a sieve or strainer for outsiders. Those who cannot or will not participate past a certain point are often ridiculed for a lack of courage, and if one persists in denying the "ritual", one is typically cast out. Once cast aside, the person has a choice of a) finding a new group where one is more comfortable and willing to share, b) changing one's mind and re-joining the original group, or c) Say screw it and go one's own way entirely.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

This is pretty much Exactly what I said to lord_of_smoking (Bob), earlier today. Creepy.

[ritualwhore.livejournal.com]

I have a peculiar relationship with open-honest friendships and relationships, and more especially, within group work. If I am going to trust people to have my back even if the world washes away, I better well know a fucking thing or two about them, and vice versa.

Beyond that, the only trait all of my closest friends have in common, is the total honesty between us. I may not be able to trust all of them to not take my 20 bucks, or even to not try to fuck my friends and get them to talk shit (so they can tell me all about it and if I can trust them later), but I can trust they'll be straight up with me about it without having to be asked.

Honesty is underrated in society, and any game which promotes it, I approve of.

More specifically, I think people would feel more comfortable with it being context free.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I think and hope that you are correct. Let's see...

[unknownbinaries.livejournal.com]

Along with what was said above, and as much as I am loath to do it on anyone else's terms, I also posit that it is a good thing to push one's boundaries. And if you need the impetus of someone else's questioning and pushing, and you understand that, then playing truth or dare is a form of self-inflicted transgression therapy.

[wolven.livejournal.com]

I like that idea, a lot, and can definitely see as to how that plays into it. Thanks for that,

[techiecl.livejournal.com]

My sleep-deprived jet-lagged answer is the simplistic cathartic value and a voyeuristic titillation (at least for the sexual stuff that inevitably comes up).

On a related note, I was enthralled by the LJ comm Share Your Sins for awhile...

[wolven.livejournal.com]

Catharsis is a good one, too. Very nice.