With the world in a post-debate frenzy it’s a good time to brush up on your logic and persuasion skills. Don’t bother with a continuing education class in rhetoric, just play Argument Champion, a free browser game that roughly approximates the rush (and occasional inanity) of a debate.
You start with an arbitrary word that you must connect to things the audience members like. For example, if you are arguing in favor of cable you might look for a word like “wire” or “entertainment” in the thought bubbles of onlookers (luckily you have the power to read people’s minds). From there you must connect the two words as directly as possible to ensure that the audience associates what you are arguing with something they like. You can also take the opposite tack and connect something the audience dislikes to your opponent’s stance.
The arguments are absurd, but the fun is in trying to make the connections before the clock runs out. My favorite debate was between “desk” and “Henry.” Obviously desk won. I associated “desk” with “comfortable” and my opponent hilariously connected “colon” to “Henry.” It only got more heated after that.
If only real debates were this much fun.
This article appears in October 5 • 2012.
