Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark

Description

What begins as a test of bravery or a sleepover activity - chanting in front of a mirror, riding an elevator alone, taking pictures in the dark - can become something...dangerous. Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark collects the most sinister, fascinating, and unsettling games based on urban legends and folklore from around the world, some of which have been told and played for generations. Centuries-old games such as "Bloody Mary" and "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board" are detailed alongside new games from the internet age, like "The Answer Man," a sinister voice that whispers secrets to whomever manages to contact him with a cellphone. Anyone can play these games using easily accessible materials and a little patience, but beware who - or what - might come out to play. Chapters are broken up into Party Games, or games that require multiple players to complete; Summoning Spirits, or games whose sole purpose is to summon an otherworldly being; High-Stakes Hide and Seek, or high-risk games to face off against a supernatural opponent; Long, Strange Trips, or games intended to deliver players to alternate dimensions; Contacting the Other Side, or games which put players in touch with the lost; and Games of Knowledge, or games which give players gain access to insights and information. Each game is given some context (the folklore behind it, the fears it taps into, the cultural history), as well as the stakes involved (Risk Level, Objective, and Reward), before detailing the step-by-step process for playing each game. Illustrations head each chapter and spot-illustrations are scattered throughout the games to set the mood for the book.

Lucia Peters developed a few incredibly weird hobbies as a young child and still can't quite figure out how she managed to turn them into an actual job as an adult. Her writing has appeared online at The Toast, Bustle, and others; she also writes and maintains the website The Ghost In My Machine, where she spooks readers several times weekly with stories of the strange and unusual. She lives in Washington, D.C., with her spouse and two cats. The cats do not, as far as she is aware, have the ability to see ghosts.