Ace Matkin

A pair of spatial games

You might be wondering why I would be posting this on the final day of May, and not some time on, between, or near the Friday or Monday that fall after American Thanksgiving. Truth be told, there’s nothing that says I have to. Secondly, this is a game I made years ago, and wanted to share on the new version of my website, and not bury newer works under my older ones.

Black Friday

Not only did I make the rules, I put them inside a picture that was intended to emulate a Black Friday sales booklet cover. I designed this in the fall of 2022. Typing this, I see plenty of ways I’d make it look better.

Cyber Monday

One could consider Cyber Monday a remix of Black Friday. The countdown in the upper right of the Cyber Monday rules was true at the time I finished it. And ideally, if one has not played Black Friday, it is ideal to do so before playing Cyber Monday. Both games need the same equipment and amount of players.

Should people play with 2 or 3 teams?

I would recommend having enough players for 3 teams of 2 and enough players (and space!) to form a perimeter, as people who have played these games have reported it’s far more enjoyable. However, it is doable with just 2 teams of 2, but remember, you also need enough people to play as the perimeter walls (Aisle Shelves in Black Friday or Search Engines in Cyber Monday), at least 6 players should be available, ideally more.

How many playground balls does it take?

In a standard game, at least 8, but adjust according to how long you’d want to keep the game going. Ideally, have them all be the same size.

Addressing some concerns

Some have reported that these games may be difficult to play due to varying heights and abilities of players. This is understandable, as height can likely affect people’s ability to play this. In practice, this hasn’t occurred , but if there’s people in your group of wildly different heights, try to balance it out by who is taking on what role. Also, don’t ever force anyone into any of the roles. Let people pick. There is no decision process built into the game (such as cards, dice, etc.) because I wanted players to have agency.

Also, in the process of creating these games, I was aware that physical disabilities might have an effect on how gameplay could be affected. This is why I put in the rules, that balls could be grabbed using legs or arms, but not both. However, I’m not sure if it would really affect gameplay if players could use both during gameplay.

Where do I buy this game?

That’s the neat part–you don’t buy this game as a kit from a store! Do you have 2-3 office chairs? A decent number of playground balls? A bunch of people to play with? Ample space? You’re good to go! Just download the images with the rules, print them or display them on a screen, and there you have it! Most importantly, have fun!