Author Topic: Playmania (Read 36061 times)

BrandonFG · « **Reply #105 on:** August 20, 2006, 09:14:33 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'128244\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 09:07 PM\']
[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'128240\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 05:44 PM\']
(i.e. VA DERS would be Space Invaders, because there is a space in the word "Vaders".)
[/quote]
I totally don't get that. Try explaining it again?
[/quote]
The space in the word "vaders". Space in (the word) vaders. Space invaders.

clemon79 · « **Reply #106 on:** August 20, 2006, 09:32:18 PM »

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'128245\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 06:09 PM\']
I'm not entirely sure if that's sarcasm, but I'm in a nice mood so I'll give a different example.
[/quote]
No, I honestly didn't get it.
[quote name=\'aaron sica\' post=\'128246\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 06:12 PM\']
VA DERS

There is a space between VA and DERS.

"Space in VA DERS"
[/quote]
AHHHH. NOW I get it. Okay, that's better than my original guess, which was that I was supposed to extrapolate "Space Invaders" from just "VA DERS", and that the space indicated that the answer was two words.

I like this MUCH better.

Matt Ottinger · « **Reply #107 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:13:19 PM »

[quote name=\'clemon79\' post=\'128254\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 09:32 PM\']
AHHHH. NOW I get it. Okay, that's better than my original guess, which was that I was supposed to extrapolate "Space Invaders" from just "VA DERS", and that the space indicated that the answer was two words.[/quote]
This type of puzzle has been around a while, but I'm not sure there's a particular name for it. (Mackeys, any idea?) It's not really a rebus, more like a visual pun. Like a lot of puns, sometimes they're so bad/easy that they're not very interesting. (The word 'think' above a rectangle: "Think outside the box")

They turn up in newspapers and magazines a lot, but I'm not sure they're going to be good for PlayMania. For most of the show's puzzles, there are lots of possible answers, and each wrong guess provides more information for the next person. With these, you either have it figured out or you don't, there's rarely a "guess" involved. They don't seem like the sort of thing that would play well on the show.

clemon79 · « **Reply #108 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:18:08 PM »

[quote name=\'Matt Ottinger\' post=\'128259\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 07:13 PM\']
This type of puzzle has been around a while, but I'm not sure there's a particular name for it. (Mackeys, any idea?) It's not really a rebus, more like a visual pun. Like a lot of puns, sometimes they're so bad/easy that they're not very interesting. (The word 'think' above a rectangle: "Think outside the box")
[/quote]
Yeah, there's a name for it, but I can't think of it right now. I know they show up in Games Magazine with a fair amount of regularity; whatever they call it is as good of a defacto name for them as anything.

chad1m · « **Reply #109 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:23:08 PM »

I knew it wasn't a rebus because that's more of a pictoral thing, but I thought it was better than calling it a visual riddle.

BrandonFG · « **Reply #110 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:34:15 PM »

They're known as "plexers".

Fedya · « **Reply #111 on:** August 20, 2006, 10:44:23 PM »

Games Magazine calls them "Wacky Wordies"; I don't know if there's any canonical name for this type of puzzle though.

Joe Mello · « **Reply #112 on:** August 20, 2006, 11:25:07 PM »

Wuzzles?

dzinkin · « **Reply #113 on:** August 22, 2006, 06:10:08 AM »

[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'128411\' date=\'Aug 22 2006, 01:51 AM\']
Go figure, someone at the GSN boards is bitching about me. Oh well.
[/quote]
Trust me, Chad -- you should take that as a compliment. (At least until someone writes borderline-pornographic fan fiction about you. ;-)

PYLdude · « **Reply #114 on:** August 23, 2006, 02:00:30 AM »

[quote name=\'dzinkin\' post=\'128426\' date=\'Aug 22 2006, 06:10 AM\']
[quote name=\'chad1m\' post=\'128411\' date=\'Aug 22 2006, 01:51 AM\']
Go figure, someone at the GSN boards is bitching about me. Oh well.
[/quote]
Trust me, Chad -- you should take that as a compliment. (At least until someone writes borderline-pornographic fan fiction about you. ;-)
[/quote]

You just had to give her the idea, didn't you?

davemackey · « **Reply #115 on:** August 26, 2006, 08:39:17 AM »

[quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'128266\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 10:44 PM\']
Games Magazine calls them "Wacky Wordies"; I don't know if there's any canonical name for this type of puzzle though.
[/quote]
I'll ask Will Shortz; he should know the genesis of that type of puzzle. I'll report back.

goongas · « **Reply #116 on:** August 27, 2006, 12:58:17 AM »

StarFace is a top 5 TV show beginning with 'S' according to PlayMania. They took up most of the first hour with this one top 5 game...Who would answer StarFace? Playmania must be adjusting the results in order to advertise the new show, shameless IMO.

clemon79 · « **Reply #117 on:** August 27, 2006, 01:13:30 AM »

[quote name=\'goongas\' post=\'129271\' date=\'Aug 26 2006, 09:58 PM\']
StarFace is a top 5 TV show beginning with 'S' according to PlayMania. They took up most of the first hour with this one top 5 game...Who would answer StarFace? Playmania must be adjusting the results in order to advertise the new show, shameless IMO.
[/quote]
Wow. I came across that in passing whilst switching my TV over to the Xbox tonight, right about the time they jacked the values up to $150 per. That is absolutely ludicrous. Maybe they AREN'T gonna show TPiR after all.

davemackey · « **Reply #118 on:** August 27, 2006, 01:47:54 AM »

[quote name=\'davemackey\' post=\'129204\' date=\'Aug 26 2006, 08:39 AM\']
[quote name=\'Fedya\' post=\'128266\' date=\'Aug 20 2006, 10:44 PM\']
Games Magazine calls them "Wacky Wordies"; I don't know if there's any canonical name for this type of puzzle though.
[/quote]
I'll ask Will Shortz; he should know the genesis of that type of puzzle. I'll report back.
[/quote]
Mr. Shortz concurs that "wacky wordies" and "rebuses" are the two most valid monickers for that sort of puzzle.

The Ol' Guy · « **Reply #119 on:** August 27, 2006, 04:52:41 AM »

You can sharpen up those puzzle solving skills if you catch a copy of the MB board game Whatzit? in a second-hand store. It may have been re-issued by another outfit.