Triple KILL score
Like most other “millenials” in Generation Y, a good portion of my daily routine is devoted to my virtual life on the information superhighway. It’s a place where I get my news and my shoes. And, like most people my age, I can often be found in front of my computer playing a game of Scrabulous with my e-friends on Facebook. (Scrabulous is almost exactly like the popular board game Scrabble, except there’s no physical board and you’re given as much time as you want to think of a word with the help of an online dictionary.) It’s a fun, innocent, and totally futuristic new pastime.
Or, at least I thought it was innocent.
This morning I discovered that an internet acquaintance of mine had challenged me to a new game of Scrabulous. I smiled, cracked my knuckles, and clicked the link. But when the game opened up, this was what I saw:
DIE. As in: to die. Is that a threat? Should I be worried? DIE. That’s such a creepy thing to find waiting for you. Plus, it’s only worth eight points. You expect me to think that “die” was the only word this person could put down? Nope, sorry. This is clearly a terroristic threat.
I feel like I’m a character in some terrible new Wes Craven movie, slowly realizing I’m playing Scrabulous against the vengeful ghost of the old fisherman I accidentally killed near the docks while drunk driving at the beach last summer. I’m sitting there at the computer paralyzed with fear because because I don’t have the right tiles to say, “WHY”, “IMSORRY”, or “PLEASEDONTKILLME”. Meanwhile, on the screen, he keeps putting down the word “DIE” “DIE” “DIE” “DIE” (into the pattern of a swastika).
Actually, I’d probably go see that movie. I’m sure the killer in Prom Night uses Facebook in some fashion. I could see him making a private event with the kids in his Werewolf group, but then when everyone shows up, he’s turns out be an actual werewolf and viciously eats them all. (NOTE: I just put a copy write on that idea. I’m starting the script this afternoon. I’m calling it WorldWideWolf.com/nazi. )
Part of me is relieved this happened over the internet. Because if this were a real game of Scrabble, I think it would go like this:
Friend: “D-I-E. Die. Double word score, eight points.”
Me: “Uhm…you mean like…a die, right? Like dice? Like rolling a die for money?”
Friend: “No, I mean like…DIE!”
And then I’d get murdered with a knife.
