5 Reasons why CARDS AGAINST HUMANITY is shockingly marvelous

I loved the card game Apples to Apples when it came out, (I bring this up because it is similar to Cards Against Humanity, but could be described as a G-rated version) but couldn’t satiate the hunger to explore my dark side. I would often play the card I thought would be the most obscene, or that would make people chuckle who had a similar sense of humor to me. But usually I would get weird glances or outright “ewws.” (Especially if kids were around) Hmm.. Time to drink more wine and shamefully sulk back in my seat. Now, thanks to Cards Against Humanity, I can play 1,000 times more obscene combinations and get APPLAUDED!

What is Cards Against Humanity?

If you don’t know- you are seriously missing out on what I think is the best party game to ever happen to the entire galaxy. And while you might rank my opinion on your “scale of importance” as low as the soap scum on your bathroom wall, read on to see why millions of others agree.

Cards against humanity is as simple as it is fun. Straight from the source of the game’s website, www.cardsagainsthumanity.com, “The game is simple. Each round, one player asks a question from a black card, and everyone else answers with their funniest white card.”

So what makes it extraordinary?

1. The people who created it are normal (well…)

It was started by eight friends in their mid-20s who all graduated Highland Park High School together and then dispersed for college. They came back home for the holidays and simply wanted a new spin on the New Year’s Eve bore games (yes, bore, as in BORING). The righteous birth of Cards Against Humanity ensued. Thanks to Josh Dillon, Daniel Dranove, Eli Halpern, Ben Hantoot, David Munk, David Pinsof, Max Temkin, and Eliot Weinstein – Kudos to you guys- for real. Knowing these guys aren’t some fancy-shmancy desk paper-pushers or get paid to come up with ideas is what makes it so amazing. These guys just wanted to have fun.

2. And they are Hilariously and Strategically BRILLIANT.

Cards Against Humanity is usually bought online through Amazon, or (like I did) through eBay. The average cost of the game is usually around $25. The makers of this game often have fun screwing with consumers and society’s notion of proper business. For example, in 2012 during the Christmas holiday Cards Against Humanity released an expansion pack to the game that let individuals choose their own price. According to records, sales exceeded $70,000. The men then donated that money. How anti-establishment-y of them. Again on Black Friday of 2013, Cards Against Humanity held an anti-sale. They priced the game at $30, with a slogan of: “Today only! Cards Against Humanity products are $5 more.” Sales skyrocketed.

For Christ’s sake- just this past Christmas they sent out THOUSANDS (over 30,000!!!) of boxes filled with literal BULL SHIT. People were irate, thinking their CLEAR advertisement for it was a joke and they would receive an expansion pack instead. No people, get a grip – it was a prank you fell for. They made money off of your stupidity, and that’s absolutely hilarious! Brilliant. I want to high-five these people.

Now they are selling an EMPTY bigger, black box for 15 bucks. I bet they make a fortune off those who think there may be a surprise inside, or off those that want more space for their black cards and for whom a Ziploc bag is not sufficient.

It’s not available EVERYWHERE.

The Creators’ main objective was to not own the world and create a huge business or corporation – it was simply to be funny. To make people laugh. Well- they succeeded in that endeavor.

From an interview I read here, Temkin explains why products are not (yet) available in stores.

“I’d rather people bought it out of a brown paper bag from the back of a van on a college campus,” Temkin says. “We think people who shop in American Apparel or Urban Outfitters would certainly be interested in buying it, but we don’t want to have that cheapen our brand.”

What kind of people do not take opportunities to expand their business and income exponentially? Marvelous people, that’s who.

Its impossible not to laugh.

Go ahead, try it. When you have a card that says “White people like ____” and you respond with “Farting and walking away,” how can you not chuckle?

It’s like a brief relief to the stress-ors and depress-ors, of life.

Real life example here folks- I was fighting with my boyfriend, and having a pretty hard-core fight if I do say so myself. Well, he comes in and instead of the usual ‘I’m Sorry” or roses – brings Cards Against Humanity and a bottle of wine. That’s pretty genius. While every part of me wanted to tell him to go eat shit, I couldn’t pass up on a GUARANTEED mood booster. I realized I was dwelling on the blahs when I should’ve been laughing. That’s exactly what what these founders aimed to do, create laughter and fun.

It’s insanely addictive and you can’t do anything about it but play along.

I constantly find myself wanting to buy more expansion packs or create my own cards online (see, their business plan and marketing skills are brilliant). I want to read more heinous, hilarious, hideous things that I can pair with other heinous, hilarious, hideous things.

There are people out there I’m sure that think this game is a slap-on-the-face to good values and to all society has tried to do over the years to reduce the amount of sexism, racism, political scandal, etc… but come on. Take the stick out of your ass and realize its just a game. I, too, play this game and sometimes find myself saying “that’s absolutely HORRIBLE,” but all still while laughing. I realize I still have a conscious and do not really think those things. Its a way to laugh and pass the time.

So thanks again to the creators of Cards Against Humanity. You have made my game nights suck that much less.