Words with Friends or Are They Really Your Friends??

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sunday started out like any other weekend day.  I was in my bedroom when my daughter came in and she and the dogs piled into bed with me.  I asked her what she was doing and she told me she was playing a game called Words with Friends on her Ipad2.  Never having played this game before, I watched her play for a bit and told her to let me play.  Big mistake. I hate to admit this, but I am actually a Scrabble virgin.  I have never played the game in my life, yet I have seen it played enough times to know that it can bring out the worst in people and is remarkably like Words with Friends.  

When I gave her the good news that she had a new opponent named M-O-M, she said she really didn’t want to play with me because I always get too carried away. One time, when she was little and we were playing Candy Land, I made the mistake of saying, “Looks like you are lost in the woods, Sucker!” only to be told the correct name was the Lollipop Woods.  I tried telling her it was an innocent slip of the tongue, but the kid has never recovered.  Why can’t she remember the years I spent saying, “Go Fish,” when what I really wanted to say was,  “Please shoot me.”

After a little convincing, we started the game and everything was going pretty well until she stole not once, but twice, the spaces where I intended to play a great word.  The first time I let it go, but the second time Words with Friends quickly turned into Bad Words with Fiends.  There was a little shouting, a few taunts, two attempts to discredit her word, and one death threat, which caused her to run to my husband and inform him that she did not want to continue the game with a person who kept repeating, “How many points do I get if I M-A-I-M you?”  What my daughter didn’t seem to understand was that she was complaining to my husband while he was watching Sunday Morning and she really should know by now that one of us could drop on the floor convulsing directly in front of him and his only course of action would be to turn the TV volume up.  Luckily, I was able to explain to her that she had completely misunderstood my motives and I was only sounding out different words like H-A-R-M, H-A-C-K, C-U-T, and C-R-U-S-H, because I was trying to see if I had the right letters for my next move. All she said was she hoped she drew an S, because she already had an A and one S, and one more S would help her form the perfect word, too.

 

The pace of Words with Friends can be a little unnerving.  I am playing my nephew right now and at the rate he has been responding, we will know the winner of this match in two years.  I have waited 24 hours for him to play the word, “leg,” which, quite frankly, I did not feel was worth the delay and seemed to me to indicate the lack of effort he is putting forth to make this game interesting. 

I have tried chatting with him to prod him to respond faster, but my last message of, “if I miss your next word because I have died of old age, it was nice playing with you,” caused him to respond with, “fart,” which I have to think is short for “old fart.”  Luckily, I discovered that you can taunt chat with your opponent during a game, although my daughter did not mention this feature to me when she explained the game, so I was very lucky to come across it all on my own.  I find it is fun to post comments about my adversary’s word choice, how much they stink, or just some fun facts like, “looks like I just opened a can of whoop ass on you.”   

I think it adds a bit of levity to the game, but so far, the only comments I have gotten back are, shut up, grow up and one time by a particularly sore loser, I am never playing again with you.

 

I am now playing a game with a total stranger, thanks to my daughter’s concern for my safety.  On Sunday, somebody sent me a challenge and I asked her if it was her screen name and she said to accept the challenge. Only after I accepted, did she mention that she has no idea who this person happens to be and did not seem overly concerned when I said, “you mean I could be playing Words with People Who Want to Steal My Identity?”  Or what if the guy I am playing is getting kicked off of a plane somewhere, because I just played the best word ever and he just has to respond?  She said she doubted that would happen, but we all know weirder things have happened.

When I asked her how I stop the game, she said I have to wait until my opponent resigns.  I have no idea if she is telling me the truth or just yanking my chain, and I feel like I did when we got our first computer years ago and our teenage daughter set up her own security as a Mature Adult.  I went to work the next day and told my co-worker the trouble with having a computer is my kids know more than I do about operating one and my daughter knows I do not have a clue how to go in and change her security restrictions.  Luckily, I have found, over the years, that threats work almost better than knowledge.

 

Meanwhile, I told my daughter that I hope this total stranger doesn’t think we are playing Words with Friends with Benefits or that this innocent interaction causes her father to fly into a jealous rage.  Sure enough, she told her dad that I said I had a new man friend who was probably loving playing a game of intellect with a mature woman, and she reported back that he said to tell the guy to add I-M to mature for the word of the day.  Since most of you love and defend Vern, I won’t even tell you what my family went on to say about who they felt my intellectual equal might be and how they hope someone invents an IPaw soon, so Vern dogs can play Words with Friends, with someone who has yet to find a human intellectual equal. 

I told Vern and Fudge they might be the only two creatures on the planet that I might play nicely with, but I think we all know I am E-X-A-G-G-E-R-A-T-I-N-G.

 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Sandy, I am going to look you up as long as you promise not to beat me. LOL

Karen, You are welcome. I advise you not to get interested in this game. I am now addicted....LOL! Stay strong :)

[Karen, Jasper and Jackdoodle]

I must be even stranger than I thought I was, because I loved playing Go Fish with kids. 

I also love word games. Pogo.com is great for those of you who enjoy playing games on-line either with or without strangers, lol. I never heard of Words With Friends, though. Of course, I wouldn't know an iPad if it fell in my lap.

Thanks for another laugh today, Laurie.

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Nicky, I have just discovered that random games with strangers are much faster than with my family :)

Bonnie, We can't go anywhere on Sunday morning because of that stupid show. I hate it!! LOL I agree about the Go Fish....most boring game on earth.

[Nicky, Riley & Boris]

That's so funny because I play 'words with friends' with my sister and my daughter who take an age to respond and always win but the real games are with three strangers one of whom is only known to me as "Duggersmom"`'  All I know is that she always replies quickly and I have a fair chance of winning LOL 

[Bonnie and Kona]

OMD! Laurie! My DD and I almost chocked laughing about your description of your DH and Sunday Morning. This Sunday I wanted to go visit our DDIL in the hospital and DH got really defensive about the time I wanted to leave. I couldn't figure it out until he was staring at Sunday Morning and unable to continue to discuss leaving for the hospital! Startling, isn't it?

Also, the comment about playing Go Fish had me choking as I was reading aloud to DD. Seriously, could there be a more boring game? To all of you young mothers out there... do NOT teach this card game to your children. 

[Laurie, Fudge, and Vern]

Ricki, LOL  So far, I have only won one game and lost several, so I am not sure how sharp my mind is getting. If you want a life, do not start this game. It is almost as bad as Donna's rhyming game :) I hope you keep beating your DH. (see, I did not say...beeting)

Joanne, Wow...good to know I can win a game. I just need to play myself. Are you on FB?

F, LOL Botswana sounds like a real hot spot to me :) There is always the Doodle Cruise. Tell your sister about that one. I do like the Wax Museum..LOL!!

[Ricki and Tara (doodle)]

LOL! Love this Laurie and what a great way to keep your mind sharp for the DK games! WTG!

DH and I have had an ongoing game of Scrabble that started at Christmas and just never ends. Well, a game will end and then we immediately start another game. As you know, I am not competitive but my DH is a maniac about winning. Can this marriage be saved?

[Joanne ~ Spud*]

Oh no. I do play Words With Friends. My opponent - myself. Yes, you can play with yourself. I cheat and still can't win!
Look me up sometime, Laurie.

[F, Calla & Luca]

@Donna, That's why DK is better although gloating is frowned upon except for certain blog writers and friends.

[F, Calla & Luca]

I am not a super opera fan although there are some beautiful arias. And if you've never been to some of the great museums in NYC you should go. As for me 1 part of 1 museum is an occasional thing. My new mantra is you'll forget most of it anyway. I love nature and the country so I'm with you. My sister and I have been debating trips but for reasons I don't understand she is refusing to consider Botswana. She having been a music professor now is into art. So my back yard is it for now.