We thought you'd never ask!
For some reason, the rectangular shapes and smooth detailing of hobby board games -- especially those slightly abstract yet adorably representative Eurogames -- makes gamers long for the sweet, sweet taste of cake. Delicious cake.
And sometimes, those gamers happen to actually be good at baking! And to produce edible versions of the board games that, while not so arcane and complex as to be unplayable, are still obscure enough that playing them doesn't evoke memories of family Monopoly sessions.
So! Behold! Ten board games, presented in cake form!
Chatroulette's rise through the various layers of Internet culture has been illustrative -- illustrative, that is, of how online phenomena bubble up first in the strangest and most arcane of places before finally dribbling down to the "mainstream" outlets that make up the sprawling majority of media. From the horrific cultural smelters of 4chan and SomethingAwful, out through the sprawling network of topical forums, and finally, onto sites like BlackBook, Buzzfeed, and NYMag, the site -- which, in case you've been speedrunning Dragon Age or something, randomly connects users through their webcams -- has evolved to the verge of Internet behemoth-dom.
Ah, Chatroulette -- now that you're about to go mainstream, let us savor the last lingering moments of your cultural relevance, before your meme-riddled concupiscence goes the way of all flesh. And what better way to do that than with a gallery of The Best of the Worst of Chatroulette!
Remember Apple Daily, the Taiwanese tabloid that produces CGI videos depicting the events of major Western news stories? And how their segment on the Tiger Woods scandal started a mini-empire of Internet virality? Adult Swim is now airing the videos as "Adult Swim News" segments. Can a show composed entirely of "viral" "internet" "vids" be far behind?
(That is, one that isn't on G4?)
The already-rich Internet video trove of huge awesome animals fighting other huge awesome animals just got a bit richer: the Discovery Channel is currently re-airing an entire documentary on one epic Whale vs. Shark battle.
Shades of Mega Shark vs. Giant Octopus? What's even better is the grisly aftermath in which the whales...devour the corpse of their victim. Oh. Oh my god.The whole "niche social network" thing has really got to stop. Yes, every group has particular needs in terms of social tools and interface. Yes, the only way to go up against heavy hitter like Facebook and LinkedIn is to exploit irregular network topologies and cater to close-knit groups of online weirdos.
But still: A social network dedicated entirely to fictional personas? Surely this is nothing less than a Pynchonesque exercise in exploring the concept of digital-aether-as-liminal-space?
Nope, it's a bunch of grown-up Hot Topic kids who think they're werewolves. Thanks, Internet!
Below, let's take a stroll through the gallery of horrors: