So I am on the fence about the entire Death Pool game here.
On one hand, I find it " wrong ". OTOH, I like the idea of it; that is, if one could remove all emotion and " feelings " from it, it does seem like an intriguing mechanic. [Did I just mush Star Wars’ Jedi and Star Trek’s Data in one statement?]
I am growing older, who isn’t, and the people I grew up with are starting to find their end with this life. When Fred Rodgers left us, that was the first person that kinda signaled to me that I am getting up there. With Michael Jackson* passing this year, It cinched it. I am now at a point in life where I don’t have to ask older people “Why was X famous? What did Y do again?”. I’m 27. About to be getting up there in age.
In short, I am ready to play. I think.
1.Pretend I know nothing about the death pool, how does it work?
2.Who starts the thread? Who created the game?
3. When does death pool 2010 start?
4.How do seasoned players get over the guilt?
Ok, I confess, I looked in on the thread after I got over Jackson’s death, and was amazed that IIRC someone had him down on the list.
I just want to get my feet wet here, and see what I can do.
I approach it like I would the futures market were I in a financial position to play that. Although you may, for example, make money on California oranges if Florida oranges are wiped out by a freak blizzard, you’re not so much rooting for bad weather in the Sunshine State as you are projecting that it’s somewhat likely to happen. If I could somehow cause the blizzard, I’d trust that my sense of morality wouldn’t allow me to do so, no matter how much I might profit.
Similarly, I’m not stalking any of my Death Pool picks, looking to shoot them, poison their food, or whatever. I just play hunches based on who has cancer, who’s getting on in years, who’s recently attempted suicide, etc. When I score points, I do feel a sense of triumph, particularly when I’ve made a unique or otherwise uncommon pick.
After all, I’ve taken advantage of knowledge, and that’s what this board is for. By playing the last seven Death Pools (counting next year’s, for which I’ve already submitted my list), I’ve learned about a lot of people involved in such spheres as science fiction and European soccer, which normally don’t appear on my radar. I’ve been reminded of people whose names I haven’t seen in years, including some I wrongly assumed had died a decade or more ago. I’ve been linked to obituaries from a wide variety of sources, many of which flesh out the paragraph or two appearing in my local newspaper’s Deaths elsewhere section.
And, of course, I’ve read some great jokes (albeit not all tasteful) that tie in with various celebrities’ catch phrases or notorious scandals. In short, I find the Death Pool threads fun and educational, so I keep reading, playing, and otherwise contributing to them.
Meeko, just read the 2010 or 2009 thread. The rules are explained. You aren’t supposed to pick people who are dying, by the way. Patrick Swayze, if he was still alive, would be a incorrect pick for 2010, as we know he is terminal(was, that is).
Huh? That was not my understanding at all. I thought a person known to have a terminal illness was a perfectly legitimate pick, so long as they are famous for something other than having a terminal disease. Like Ruth Ginsberg–known to have cancer, famous for being on SCOTUS.
This is absolutely not correct. Half my list is dead this year because I searched for dying celebs at the end of 2008 and put them in my list. Swayze was known to be dying in 2008, and he went on my list, and I got the points.
Well, there was that whole discussion amongst the mods whether friends or family members should have some sort of exemption from the “no insults” rule – no one brought up this scenario, though.
No guilt here. I’ll even admit to a certain amount of glee everytime I see the current thread get bumped; I think, “Who died? And more importantly, was he or she on my list?!?”
I figured I would catch hear for that. It is why I added “about to be”.
Guilt, I mean, I dont want someone I list to die, and then have that be on me when ever I think of that late person ever again. I may not have a voo doo doll, but, it would be interesting to think what would happen if I didn’t list them.
… Then again, I believe Mahaloth was the person who got me started on my Mafia Addiction. [At least instrumental in the group of 3 people that got me started on it.]
Your friends and family will start to look at you askance when they mention such-and-such celebrity died, and your first response is “I’d better check my list”.
