Twitter-like Snippets: Digital Jenga

Saw a Nintendo DS game in Best Denki. Electronic version of Jenga. Presumably drag out blocks with your stylus. Kinda misses the point, wot?

Ha. 140 characters exactly.

I cannot resist elaboration though. I bought a physical version of Jenga for about $19.90 on offer from Toys R Us some time ago. The DS game costs about $50.

Jenga is about the heart stopping tension of easing out tangible blocks, feeling the sandpaper textured smoothness of each woodcut, not daring to move a muscle or breathe in case the nano-changes in air currents tilt the precarious stack, and having a group to share the emotions with.

How in the world will a digital game replicate this when you can pretty much avoid touching the screen until you need to precision slide your stylus a couple of milimetres?

By the way, I had been keeping my eye out for a cheapo Jenga offer not because I like party games. I ran into a fascinating RPG that used it as a resolution system - yea, not dice, not cards, jus wooden blocks.

Dread: The RPG - Review at RPG.NET

http://www.gnomestew.com/specific-rpgs/dread-play-it-this-halloween-trust-us

The character creation system is also fantastic, consisting of GM-designed questionnaires filled with loaded open-ended questions.

eg.
= What is still packed in boxes even though you've been moved in for a year?
= What addiction do you hide from your friends?
= How did your handyman skills help you when you started performing exorcisms?
= How did you win the only brawl you have ever been in?
= What photograph do you keep despite the fact that you can never display it?

http://gamerchris.com/2009/12/08/dread-unauthorized-human-trials-a-report-and-light-review-from-mace.aspx