Party games are the catch-all dumping ground of gaming ideas. For a long time, most of them seem to start with Apples to Apples, change two things, and publish. Seriously, how many variations of 'guess who said what' do we need?
Apparently, we need at least one more. So a bunch of guys without any good ideas got together, licensed a silly-but-entertaining website and made the Awkward Family Photos game. In this game, you'll look at pictures that are mildly amusing and then ask each other meaningful questions like, 'how can you relate to the people in this picture?' or 'what life lesson can you learn from this photo?' or 'why on Earth would you be playing this game?' (That last question is not in the game, per se, but it is implied.)
The object of Awkward Family Photos is to A) make one person laugh, and 2) guess who came up with the answers to the questions. It's a formula that has proven successful in party game after party game. It was then proven to be wearing out its welcome in several more party games. It was then beaten into the ground like a tent stake in a whole bunch more games. And now, as Awkward Family Photos employs it yet again, that formula has been shown to be stale, boring, unoriginal and not the least bit entertaining.
Now, in all fairness, there could be some fun to be had playing Awkward Family Photos. In order to actually enjoy this game, each player will need to consume a minimum of five shots of hard liquor. More may be necessary, depending on your tolerance. Once everyone is thoroughly inebriated, simply look at the cards and laugh at the confused child watching the copulating pigs. Never mind with the questions. If you can read them, you're not drunk enough, anyway.
The interesting thing about Awkward Family Photos is that the website is actually pretty entertaining. I regularly check in to that site to laugh at the photos and say, 'Ha! I used to have hair like that!' (Only on the site, those crazy 80s haircuts are worn by hillbilly grandmothers toting long-barrel six-shooters.) But a funny website does not make a good game, especially when an absolute minimum of effort went into designing it.
I can be tolerant of games that show some effort. I am OK with a person pouring hours into a game and then failing to make it awesome. I mean, I'll still say the game sucks, but I won't be as embarrassed to have it in my house. But the people who made Awkward Family Photos should be ashamed of themselves. This game is just plain dreadful. It offers absolutely no reason to exist, and worse, betrays a complete lack of originality and a shameful level of laziness. If I were involved in the production of the Awkward Family Photos game, I would change my name and move to a country without extradition treaties.
I simply cannot stress enough how thoroughly any sane human being should avoid the Awkward Family Photos game. If you want to be amused at funny pictures, go to the website. The only reason I can imagine to own a copy of this absolutely horrible game would be if you lack Internet access and just want to have these odd photographs handy. You know, just in case you find yourself very drunk.
Summary
4 to 6 drunks
Pros:
There are some fairly funny pictures in the box
The 20-sided die that comes in the box is good for tracking hit points on evil robots
Golf pencils included
Cons:
Insipid and boring
Chock full of stupid questions
Desperately unoriginal
Shows virtually no effort whatsoever
Don't buy Awkward Family Photos. Just visit the site:
http://awkwardfamilyphotos.com/
