TAKE a deep breath. You are about to pit yourself against some heavy future scenarios. Your job in this game is to respond with a deft tweet, maximum 140 characters.
Get paper, pens and something you can use for points 鈥� chocolate coins, perhaps? Give 20 of these to each player (minimum four). They represent likes. Put a pile of spare likes in the middle of the table.
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Next, tear a piece of paper into lots of squares. Everyone should write five secret words or hashtags on squares of paper (see below for inspiration). Fold all the pieces, jumble them up and then give each player five at random.
Each round, read out one of the scenarios below. Everyone has to write a tweet in response to it. They can use one or more of their secret words in the tweet. Once you鈥檝e used the word, discard it.
After everyone has finished, players take turns to read out their tweets. Then, on the count of three, everyone must take two of their likes and give one each to the two players whose tweets they liked most this round. If you鈥檝e run out of likes, just take spares from the middle and use those.
Finally, players reveal any secret words in their tweet. They take three points from the pool of likes for each secret word they used.
After you have run through every scenario, the player with the most likes wins.
Example secret words
Limescale. Libel. Chihuahua. Ghost. Mountain. Bottom. Scarf. For Science. Elephantine. North. Retro. Fishy. Fantastical. #hijinks. #YOLO. #OMG. #My_____in5words. #thingsilearned. #firstworldproblems. #irony. #cute. #truelove. #sorrynotsorry. #trivial. #challengeaccepted.
Scenarios
1. It鈥檚 2017, there鈥檚 a plague of electric jellyfish in the river Thames, and an animal rights group is condemning MPs filmed electrocuting each other on the terrace of the Houses of Parliament. You are the voice of Westminster, and you say鈥�
2. It鈥檚 2062. You are at a conference on recent mass extinctions. A speaker is talking about her memories of wild geese (she liked them). What do you say?
3. It鈥檚 2215, London is divided into two islands: Hampstead & Highgate, and the Greater South London Republic of Crystal Palace. An all-too tribal football match is scheduled. A carelessly partisan tweet could prove fatal.
4. It鈥檚 2021. You went to a great party on a airship last night where you met (and followed on Twitter) a hot geologist. Compose your next-morning tweet.
5. It鈥檚 2025, Southend is flooded, again. An ageing rock star/activist puts together a charity single for the victims. Is it any good?
6. It鈥檚 2039, there鈥檚 a buzz over a new app that logs your dreams and matches you with people dreaming similar things. But you don鈥檛 even own a smarthat.
7. It鈥檚 2019. Now that he鈥檚 finally over 35, Justin Timberlake reveals his life鈥檚 ambition 鈥� to become US president. He plans to run on a global warming platform, but he has not yet chosen a running mate. Any ideas?
8. It鈥檚 2065, a science commentator is writing a weekly column from the jar where his brain resides. Tweet about his decision to upgrade to a larger jar.
9. It鈥檚 2155, Snow Cloud Epsilon has crashed into a space mirror, raising the prospect of the first Christmas without snow for 43 years. Is it beginning to look a lot less like Christmas?
10. It鈥檚 2047, a weird new fungus is spreading over Western Europe. Due to related issues, it has just been announced that no champagne will be made for the second year running. How do you console the disappointed masses?
Image credit: Dave McKean
- This game, called How to Win at the Future, was devised by
This article appeared in print under the headline 鈥淭weet like it鈥檚 2099鈥�
