Board games are big business, and each year hundreds are released, some hits…and some misses. Here are some of the misses.
Is the Pope Catholic? (1986) This game combines goofy, satirical humor with trivia questions about the doctrine and history of the Catholic Church. The ultimate object is to become pope, which you do by correctly answering trivia questions and earning rosary beads. But don’t drink too much wine or spend all of your church’s money on candy!
Orgy (1967) If you wanted to get in on the freewheeling sexual pursuits of the 1960s without really getting into them, you could buy the game of Orgy…which isn’t an orgy at all, but a simple drinking game. Couples take turns pouring wine (or whatever liquid they want) out of a genie lamp called a porron into each other’s mouths. The couple with the fewest spills wins.
Proud to Be Me! (1991) This game is supposed to make kids feel good about themselves by answering probing questions printed on cards, such as “Why do you love your family?” Then they get to read affirmations like “I am a good person.” Naturally, there are no winners or losers in Proud to Be Me (because losing would make you feel bad about yourself).
Chutzpah! (1967) Marketed to Jewish people—or to those who enjoyed Jewish stereotypes—Chutzpah!’s object was to hoard money that you could then spend on teeth-capping or a move to Florida.
Pain Doctors (1996) This “Game of Recreational Surgery” was sort of an Operation for the ’90s. Players portray mad doctors and vie to keep the patient healthy enough so that they can perform unnecessary elective surgery, as determined by drawing random “surgery cards.”
Grade Up to Elite Cow (1986) Produced by the British Beef Association to teach kids how beef is processed and graded, the game encourages players to compete at breeding and selling the highest-quality cattle. It begins with a bull-semen auction.
43% of psychiatrists say they would self-medicate if they were depressed. 16% say they have.