[re-release] Mystery Fun and Games

Transcript

Speaker: Hi, it's Sarah. Brooke and I are taking a short break from recording new episodes to catch up on our reading lists and plan for the next season of Clued in Mystery. While we're off, we are re-releasing a few of our favorite episodes.

Speaker: We hope you enjoy.

Speaker: Welcome to Cluedin Mystery. I'm Sarah. And I'm Brooke, and we both love mystery. Brooke. Hi, Sarah. It's time for some fun and games today.

Speaker: Totally. Before we get to those, let me just mention for our Cluedin Cartel paid subscription, Our write-along is beginning soon and members will have an opportunity to provide feedback, read what we write as we write it, and and help shape the story.

Speaker: That's right. It's going to be a lot of fun. You're going to have input in what type of story we begin and then get to see it as it unfolds. Okay. So, Brooke, when I say mystery game, what do you think of?

Speaker: Clue. I think you're like most people who would name Clue or Cluedo, depending on where you live in the world. It was first released in 1949, and there have been several iterations since then, as well as different tie-ins to popular TV shows and movies. There's Harry Potter version, Brooklyn Nine-Nine version, Downton Abbey version.

Speaker: According to one reference I found, more than 150 million copies of the game have been sold, and it is one of the five most popular board games. But Clue is just one of many mystery-themed board games, and board games are one category under the broader umbrella of mystery games. And today we're going to dig a little deeper into that umbrella.

Speaker: So while researching this topic, I categorized what we think of as games into several different categories. So there's parlor or party games, which we could probably break down a little further into board and non-board games.

Speaker: There's video games and there's puzzle games. So in terms of parlor games, these are games that are played with multiple people. ah The game Wink Murder, or Wink, and there may be some other regional variations on the name, is thought to have originated in early twentieth century.

Speaker: Jury Box is an American game from 1937, and players act as a jury, writing down their solution after evidence is presented by another player, the district attorney.

Speaker: Players earn points for the right answer, and the game includes several cases for players to review. This game is considered a precursor to Mafia, which emerged in the mid-1980s and is now available via a free online version to play with friends over Zoom or or FaceTime.

Speaker: There are also more participatory parlor games like Murder Mystery Nights, where everyone arrives at the party as a character with a backstory and new information is revealed throughout the night until the mystery is solved.

Speaker: An early example of mystery-themed video games is Mystery House, which was launched in 1980. Players are locked in a house and have to explore it to find clues to find jewelry to get out.

Speaker: Along the way, they discover bodies and have to avoid dying themselves. The game was developed by husband and wife, who initially sold 10,000 copies before a larger release of ultimately 80,000 copies.

Speaker: Until Mystery House, most games were text-only, but this game featured visuals, though we would consider them quite primitive compared to what's available today. Since Mystery House, mystery-themed video games have advanced. They typically involve interacting with characters to learn information and gather clues.

Speaker: And like board games, there are several that draw in characters that readers are familiar with. Sherlock Holmes, Nancy Drew, and so on. Last year, I'm sure you saw ah several references to Myrtle.

Speaker: So originally it was an online game and there are three volumes of logic puzzle books. And last month, its creator, Greg Carver, announced that there will be a board game version released this later this year.

Speaker: With Myrtle, you really need to use those little gray cells. So it will be neat to see what the board game is like. Mystery fans can also immerse themselves in monthly subscription boxes that contain evidence and clues.

Speaker: In one version, mystery is revealed through six boxes, so over a six-month period of time. And then there's also actual puzzles, which reveals clues as the pieces are fit together.

Speaker: So, Brooke, those are just a few examples of different games that mystery lovers can play. It's so great, Sarah. And okay, I have to admit, I did not know that there was a Downton Abbey version of Clue.

Speaker: i might have to go online and shop for that. As soon as this episode is over, that sounds like so much fun because I am one of the people who that's my favorite board game. I love Clue. And I have and a very old version of it. my i ah acquired through like ah an antique sale or a store and I love it so much.

Speaker: Yeah, I mean, I have a few versions of Clue as well, but I didn't know about the Downton Abbey version either. But it totally makes sense, right? Like to to to play in that setting.

Speaker: It's perfect. Yeah. I thought it was really interesting, this kind of overlap between mystery books, shows and movies and games, um because there was a film based on Clue. ah You know, it was inspired by the game, released in 1985. And ah I didn't realize this, but the VHS version has three possible endings. Yeah.

Speaker: Wow. I didn't know that either. But what a genius thing to do for mystery lovers that that you you have a little bit of choose your own adventure. That's really clever. Yeah. And there's a stage version of it as well. There's lots of there's lots of overlap.

Speaker: Yeah. um In 2022, BBC aired a version of Mafia. So it's called The Traitors, where players compete for money to identify who like the culprit is.

Speaker: And it's been renewed for a third season. It just goes to show, you know, we've talked about the renaissance of mystery movies. And it's, you know, going to show up in the games and the other entertainment as well. So that's really exciting.

Speaker: Yeah. And there's, you know, I think there's lots of examples of board games that are developed or inspired by popular shows. So there's like a CSI board game. And that game that I described, the Jury Box, it kind of sounds like what I would imagine a CSI board game to be like.

Speaker: Or Law and Order or something. Exactly. Yeah, I just I think it's fascinating. And there was so in 1904, there was a Sherlock Holmes board game that was um that was launched. So this is not a new phenomenon.

Speaker: Oh, that's fascinating. Well, I feel like that, you know, aha feeling that we get when we read a mystery fascinating. You definitely can experience that when playing a game, especially when you you mentioned that you know some of those parlor games include multiple people. um You become like the detectives and and you know you have that aha moment. and So it makes sense why we would enjoy experiencing it on this level as well.

Speaker: Well, exactly. And I think it's a way, you know, we all kind of fancy ourselves to be sleuths. And it's a way to really demonstrate our detective skills when we're when we're playing in ah in a game like that. There were a couple of other really interesting things that I discovered while I was researching for today's conversation. There was a board game um released Then There Were None.

Speaker: based on and then there were none Oh, yeah, yeah. Which, i you know, probably was similar to Clue in terms of um the gameplay. But there would be, i think there were like nine bodies.

Speaker: And maybe as your character goes away, you know you're out of the game. and then And then who is the winner at the end? Very fun. um The other thing that I thought was really interesting that I came across is um there were a few other sleuths and book series that I wasn't familiar with that had games based on them. So one was Cherry Ames. um and And Cherry was a nurse. And so there was a series of books released between 1943 and with a board

Speaker: How interesting. A medical mystery series that we weren't aware of, Sarah. I know. i know. And so now I want to see if I can track down um some of those books. the The sense that I got is that they're a little bit more um targeted at a younger audience. ah But yeah, definitely another, as you say, another medical mystery that we weren't aware of when we were talking about that earlier.

Speaker: That's fascinating. And then another ah sleuth was Charlie Chan. So this is a Chinese Hawaiian detective ah who was created in 1925.

Speaker: um And there was a series of books released featuring um featuring this detective and a board game featuring the same detective div was released in 1937 and a card game in How fun.

Speaker: I had no idea that there were this many tie-ins and so early to specific sleuths and specific series. Well, I think board games were a very popular pastime in the early 20th century. The Sherlock Holmes game was released in 1904, which is around the same time that the precursor to what we know as Monopoly was um was released. So, i you know, I think they were a very popular...

Speaker: way for people to spend an evening, you know, invite some people over, have a meal, play a board game. And, and I mean that still happens today, right? Where for sure friends gather for, for a game night.

Speaker: Yes. And in those days you weren't gathering around the television set with your family to watch a show you were looking for, you know, another kind of diversion. So it makes, it makes sense.

Speaker: Yeah. think I said that Clue has sold more than 150 million copies. And I'm assuming that that includes all of the different variations. And there's probably a lot of households like ours that have multiple copies of the game. um But still, that's, you know, 150 million is is pretty good coverage.

Speaker: Absolutely. And there's lots of language editions of it as well. So it's not just um ah an English speaking game. You mentioned the murder mystery night, Sarah, and um I have have you done those before? i have. Yeah. Where someone else has organized this whole elaborate game. They're lots of fun.

Speaker: They are fun. I have one set and it is a Western game. I think I got it as a gift when I was you know a very young adult and played it with um a set of friends. And then enough years went by that I completely forgot what happens in the game. And so we were able to play it again, but it was a challenge because ah It's cassette tapes to like hear the clues and the information. And so we had to scrounge around to find a cassette tape player.

Speaker: Well, I think nowadays you can probably find online versions. i haven't done the mystery box kind of games where, you know, it's delivered to your home on a monthly basis, but that sounds like it would be kind of fun. i i know there are some that are kind of targeted at children. And so that sounds like it would be a kind of a fun thing to do with a child is investigate the clues. And I'm sure there's some And some science involved in that to um teach some lessons in a really fun setting.

Speaker: Yes, the ones that are geared towards kids. And then there's also um a brand that is geared towards like a date night thing to be able to coordinate with your spouse and have have a different kind of date night. So I think that would be fun as well.

Speaker: Yeah, absolutely. So one of the game box companies that I looked up while I was um researching for today's conversation book says that they ship 150,000 episodic and complete mystery game boxes to consumers each month.

Speaker: Oh my goodness. Yeah. If that doesn't speak to the popularity of mystery, I don't know what does. That's a much higher number than I would have guessed, but what a fantastic idea. Mm-hmm.

Speaker: Absolutely. And one thing I've seen ah is also authors themselves kind of creating these different experiences that you can have that coordinate with their stories. So maybe if you follow their newsletter or you visit their website, that they have some games that coordinate with their series. In a very grassroots way, these authors are like participating in this idea of expanding their mystery world with, you know, games and extras.

Speaker: Well, and that sounds to me like a really great way to just interact with your readers and build a very strong fan base. Yeah, because people obviously like it, right? 150,000 of this one brand of mystery box. So it's something that ah fans of mystery are interested in having. Yeah, totally. And what about Myrtlebrook? Are you a daily Myrtle player?

Speaker: I'm not. I am going to admit something. I'm terrible at Myrtle. I can't get into it. It's not my thing. I think I need to have a a Myrtle coach. Is there such a thing? i don't know. there's There's probably opportunity there for someone. Um, i I mean, I like doing the, the logic games. I don't do them every day, uh, my son and I have sat down and, and kind of tried to work them out. What I like about Myrtle, particularly the online version is that, uh,

Speaker: There's a lot of variation from day to day in terms of the like number of clues that you get and how complex the puzzle is. um Some are much easier to solve than others. But i you know my hat's off to to the creator of Myrtle because he's just done a a phenomenal job of creating something.

Speaker: Definitely. Definitely. it It reminds me a lot of the lateral thinking puzzles. Do you remember those books that you could get? and um and they're great fun. They're wonderful for a car ride. And so there's a lot of similarity there.

Speaker: Well, and I am really curious to see what the board game ends up looking like. I'm excited about that. When you mentioned it, I thought that seems like it would be a lot of fun.

Speaker: What about the video game, Sarah? Like, I know the Nancy Drew video games, for instance, have just like a cult following. Is that anything that you've played before? So I don't think I've played the Nancy Drew game. If you have a Netflix subscription,

Speaker: Netflix also has games, which a lot of people probably don't realize. They have a couple of mystery games where, you know, you can just do it on your phone. You get presented with some clues. You get to decide. I think you're the detective, the police detective. And so you get to decide, do you interview this suspect next or do you pursue this, you know, lead that this um piece of evidence takes? is, um, directing you towards, you know, which of these things do you do next? And, um, I think they're, you know, they're, they're well put together and, and, um, fun to do. So I've, I've done those. And, um, I've also, ah think it was like $3 or something on the, on the, um, Nintendo store. So we bought a detective game and, uh, or a mystery game rather. And, um, I had to get my son to show me how to, how to do it because I'm not, um you know, it's on the Nintendo switch and um I just couldn't figure it out. So it's something that he and I will do. um

Speaker: and it's very much a kind of a, I think they're described as a point and click game. So you, you know, hover the, um if we were playing it on a computer, you would hover the mouse over a piece of evidence or, you know, to, to learn something new about, about what's happening. um But it's this, you know, definitely there's this narrative arc that is written into the game. And, you know, yeah, you feel like a little detective um trying to figure out what's what's happening.

Speaker: I love that. We also have a Nintendo system at our house. So that's something that I could check out and probably get help from the younger generation as, as you say.

Speaker: And what about the Nancy Drew game? Like I, I know that there are people who played that growing up and who absolutely um loved it is, are you amongst that, that group? Yeah.

Speaker: No, I think that it' they sound really fun, but I haven't ever ah dabbled in those. Well, maybe we should try and track one down and see if we can play. But I do know, um like I searched, if you just enter mis mystery video game into um a search engine, ah you'll get a list. And there are some very immersive looking games. And I think it's quite neat that kind of historically, it was a a mystery game that was one of the first to have images.

Speaker: Yes, absolutely. It's not surprising to me because, you know, the clues and the, um you know, the setting and everything is so important in a mystery story. But that's really fun. And I loved that you said, if you look at it now, it's going to look a little bit dated, but it was probably fantastic back then.

Speaker: Mm hmm. and and I just like the story that it was this husband and wife side hustle that they did. They they wrote the the programming and were just sending out at the time it would have been disks like 1980.

Speaker: Not a lot of people had computers. Right. So I think they sold 10,000 kind of in their first little bit, which must have must have been everybody who owned a computer at the time. Yeah. They had to wait for more people to buy personal computers before they could do their second round. Yeah. Yeah.

Speaker: Well, as somebody who really loves jigsaw puzzles, that um the game you mentioned where the pieces like put the clue puts the clues together, that seems like a really fun thing. And actually, I remember that I think that was on one of my Christmas wish lists one year. So I need to reinstall that on the list and maybe I can play this winter.

Speaker: Before we go, we should probably mention Kane's Jawbone. So it was a book that was intentionally published with the pages out of order. Originally, it was published in 1934, and then it was re-released in 2019, and both times with the prize associated with it. So the first person who could solve the mystery of not only putting the pages in the right order, but then figuring out the mystery that the book tells, um

Speaker: received a prize. And, ah you know, I think the timing of COVID really helped with the popularity of the, I think it was the 2019 release. It was just like the university. all aligning yes because people had time to sit down and and really puzzle out how this book was meant to go together. and And so I actually haven't seen a copy of it because I am a little bit afraid that if I did, i would end up like quitting my job and abandoning my family until...

Speaker: Until I solved it. Well, yeah. And, you know, some of those ah TikTok accounts where people were working on it really, i think, helped increase the popularity as well because you could visually see what people were doing to put this together, you know, they ah they coded their walls. It looks like a murder board, you know, they have their walls. Mm-hmm. with all the different ah pages taped taped up to try to get them in the right order. um It's really fun to see the lengths that people went to to work on it. And as you say, it was the perfect storm because of ah people being cooped up and needing something to do. um

Speaker: But, you know, if I struggle with a Myrtle, Sarah, Kane's jawbone is way out of my league. Well, Brooke, thanks for today's conversation. I think it was really fun to talk about games and mystery.

Speaker: it was great, Sarah. And one of these days when we're together, will play a game of Clue, maybe Downton Abbey Clue. I would love that. Well, thank you. And thank you, listeners, for joining us today on Clued in Mystery. I'm Brooke.

Speaker: And I'm Sarah. And we both love mystery. Clued in Mystery is written and produced by Brooke Peterson and Sarah M. Stephen. Music is by Shane Ivers. If you liked what you heard, please consider telling a friend, leaving a review, or subscribing with your favorite podcast listening app.

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