Games for Geeks, part 1

from the desk of Rob, Waugh the Younger

It's bound to happen eventually. One night during Prime Time a storm blows in, knocking the power out all over your neighborhood. Everything goes black as you hear two shrill screams from the back of the house. A few moments later two teenage children emerge from their rooms to announce that their computers are totally fragged.

After explaining the basic principles of electrical current and calming them both with soothing assurances that their computers will eventually revive, you're presented with a dilemma all parents eventually face. How can you transform this mishap into a serendipitous moment of family bonding? What can a bleary eyed, video game-playing son, and a daughter addicted to instant messaging do to pass the time together with their stodgy old parents? Your worlds seem so far apart.

Fortunately, you've prepared for this day. You grab the flashlight and candles from the kitchen drawer and head back to the hall closet to pull down your recently purchased Scrabble set... D31UX0RZ 5CR@BB13: 1337 3D!7!0N.

Yes, that's right... Scrabble brand Crossword Game, the family favorite for generations, has now been updated for the language-impaired youth of the Re:generation. The rules are exactly the same as you remember them, but the tiles and dictionary have been revamped for the new standard of computer-aided communication known as 1337-5p3@k (AKA l33t-sp34k, pronounced "leet-speak".)

What distinguishes D31UX0RZ 5CR@BB13 from the original version of the beloved crossword game? Primarily the alphabet which substitutes symbols and numerals for some of the letters, which in this case reads: @BCD3F6#!JK1MN0PQR57UVWXYZ. Also the included 0ff!c!@1 1337-5p3@k 5cr@bb13 P1@y0rz D!c7!0n@ry (0155PD) has been updated to reflect the 1337 alphabet and includes newly coined words like W007, N00B or R0X0RZ, along with alternate spellings like K3W1, J00 and F33R.

UB3R adv. super
UB!37Y n. pl. -37!35 the state of having a definite location
UB!QU3 adv. everywhere

excerpted from 0155PD

D31UX0RZ $CR@BB13... where both young and old find common ground to demonstrate their m@d 5k!11z.

Posted by Robert Waugh at October 13, 2004 03:57 AM | TrackBack