Lo-Tech Games

August 5, 2012 4:27 AM

Game-loving MeFites: Know any games that make use of a computer, but aren't computer games?

I'm thinking along the lines of playing "Name That Tune" using your iTunes library, or using an online dictionary to play the Dictionary Game. Surely there are ways to play with Google searches, Google maps, YouTube or anything else on the World Wide Web? I'm looking for something that requires no soft- or hardware other than a computer and a basic internet connection, and I'm not interested in RPG. Thanks!

posted by Paris Elk to sports, hobbies, & recreation (10 answers total)

People have devised a number of games with wikipedia, including Philosophy. Google-based games also abound
posted by knile at 4:39 AM on August 5, 2012

You'll hate me for this as you will become addicted - Sporcle
posted by TheRaven at 4:43 AM on August 5, 2012

"Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon" via IMDB or Wikipedia
posted by zombieflanders at 4:57 AM on August 5, 2012

Geocaching. (Also requires a GPS receiver, but a lot of computers now have them.)
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:19 AM on August 5, 2012

There was one a while back called "google whacking" IIRC. I suspect it's out of fashion now. But the object of the game is to come up with a two-word google search that turns up exactly one hit.
posted by Chocolate Pickle at 5:38 AM on August 5, 2012 [1 favorite]

My friend and I invented a game using a Scrabble set that requires the use of Google.
posted by chiefthe at 6:36 AM on August 5, 2012

A couple of months back there were tons of people using Mapcrunch to play a game of find the airport.
posted by harujion at 6:38 AM on August 5, 2012

There's the simple art of Wikigroaning (note that the article is a few years old but the idea remains).
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 7:50 AM on August 5, 2012 [2 favorites]

Thanks folks, keep 'em comin'!
posted by Paris Elk at 11:50 AM on August 5, 2012

This one is a bit different, but...

A gentleman that I am interested in and I were for a while sending each other dirty texts entirely in simple ciphers. I used a keyboard to shift everything one letter to the left (with wrap) and told him I used a visual map to code it. Took him ages to work it out!
posted by WidgetAlley at 3:40 PM on August 5, 2012