The Poisoned Ink Well

Monday, March 24, 2003


RISK: The game of world domination. A RANT

Now, we have body bag totals starting to pile up. Guess it wasn’t as easy as the cable news networks tried to portray it, although they do seem giddy with anticipation, over the possibility of all the follow ups, and interviews with the family members and platoon mates.

Have you ever seen so many middle aged, white men in your life? I haven't seen that many suits in one place since the last time I was at happy hour at the bar of the local Holiday Inn. They are all standing on these large maps, and they all look like such dorks. It’s like a chess game for them, or game of Risk. Did you ever play that? You start with a map of the world and everyone gets different colored pegs. The goal is to invade and conquer as many continents as possible. We used to play it for days, when we were kids, it’s a very long game, and it seems to never end.

I think the troops all deserve our heartfelt prayers, but the problem with this media blitz, is that if these incidents become more commonplace, and the death tolls on both sides, continue to mount, they will eventually drop their coverage of families and soldiers like yesterday’s news. When this War ends, and hopefully it will, our government and media, won’t help the veterans, especially the injured ones. Just ask any of our injured veterans of previous conflicts. I’ll remember them, and try to help them, and I hope you do to.

It is shame that we can’t elect our media outlets and reporters the same way we elect (or try to) the other people who decide public and foreign policy issues. It's not a game, guys.



Here’s a description of Risk from their homepage and here’s the web address to it, if anyone is interested. Why watch it on TV when you, too can play the game of global domination, and no one gets killed in this board game.



http://boardgamecentral.com/games/risk.html


"Risk is a game of world domination, where the object is to conquer the world. To win, you must attack and defend – attacking to acquire territory, and defending to keep it from your opponents.
The game board features a map of six continents divided into 42 territories. It's a game of strategy as you battle to win by launching daring attacks, defending your territory, and moving across continents with your cunning plan! Play three variations: World Domination, Capital Risk, and Secret Mission Risk. This game will engage and challenge any player to join the ranks of world leaders!
The board game versions include dice, Risk cards, and six sets of miniature armies. The software versions feature cutting-edge artificial intelligence and stunning 3-D graphics, as well as excellent multiplayer options."

Home