Are we calling it this? We should call it this!

[badducky]

I blogged about this today, and I thought I'd post it here as well to make sure people see this notion of mine.

Okay, in Speculative Fiction, you have moments wherein "New Amazing Sports" occur. I propose that any speculative athletic activity wherein an "As You Know Bob" is required to make sure people don't get lost (for instance, John Scalzi's Wallball in "The Android's Dream" and Quidditch) shall be referred to in crit groups and general discussion as either...

a) Calvinball - for science fiction athletics of the future.

b) Quidditch - for fantasy athletics of mystical wherever.

Thus, your crit groups and discussions can quickly cut to the heart of certain scenes and everyone will know exactly what scene we're all talking about, though we may not recall exactly what the author chose to call his particular sporting event off the top of our heads.

Thus, if you have a scene in your book wherein your athletic event is sufficiently different from current athletics to require an "As You Know Bob"-style explanation of the rules and/or equipment, or just a good, ol'-fashioned little infodump, I hereinafter propose we refer to such things as either "Calvinball" or "Quidditch".

That is all.

Yer Pal,

Badducky

[Pthom]

"Calvinball?" Instantly, an image of a spikey-haired 6-year-old boy and a tiger jumped into my head.
ahem
I like your proposal, badducky, but I question your terminology. The nice thing about "Quidditch" is that the name of the sport doesn't identify any of the playing pieces (brooms, quaffles, bludgers or golden snitches). But "Calvinball" presumes the play is with some sort of spherical "ball" (or quasi-spherical, such as an American football or rugby ball).

So I ask the team (read: members of this forum) to come up with another name for the SF equivalent of "Quidditch".

[badducky]

I like Calvinball muchly because it doesn't imply any of these things you mention to anyone who has read Calvin and Hobbes. It does imply 1) Masks. 2) Making up the rules on the fly. 3) Awesomely funny songs and poems.

All of these things, especially number 2, are very appropriate to games of the future.

[Soccer Mom]

Mwahahahaha. Unfortunately, I already refer to all nonsensical childhood play as "Calvinball." (Cause I'm raising two Calvins)

Calvinball makes me think of anything where you make it up as you go along and the only rule is "win."

[Liosse de Velishaf]

I think the terms are great, Ducky... especially "Calvinball"; maybe quidditch is a bit less so. It does have certain possible conotations, which could be negative or positive depending on the creator of the sport in question.

[dempsey]

Calvinball may claim a ball, but when played correctly, you don't always have a ball.

Though I'd have a hard time using it for SF. I tend to use the term when people around me seem to be playing some inherently complex and sinister game which excludes me. Typically, this applies to politics.

[ChaosTitan]

My brain immediately spun to Calvin & Hobbes, too. ;)

Fortunately, I've yet to write a story in which I must make up a sporting event or game. I like to make things easy on myself.

ETA: I really like the game they play on the new Battlestar Galactica....the one Sam Anders is a champion at....dang...can't remember....

[Shadow_Ferret]

I refuse to use the term quidich (or even learn how it's spelled) since I can't stand Harry Potter.

[dempsey]

My brain immediately spun to Calvin & Hobbes, too. ;)

As it well should. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Calvin_and_Hobbes#Calvinball)

ETA: I really like the game they play on the new Battlestar Galactica....the one Sam Anders is a champion at....dang...can't remember....

Pyramid.

[Smiling Ted]

Take the test to find out how good a Calvinball player you really are.

http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/how-good-of-a-calvinball-player-are-you

[maxmordon]

What about Rollerball for the Sci-Fi equivalent? or Centrifugal Bumble Puppy (from A Brave New World)

[badducky]

Seriously, what other game has just the right combination of Geeky coolness?

Also, the thing about Calvinball is you make the rules up as you go along... Which is kind of what you do writing your many Calvinballs, isn't it?

[ChaosTitan]

Pyramid.

Thank you! :D

[crimsonlaw]

a) Calvinball - for science fiction athletics of the future.




Anyone that references Calvinball is automatically one of my best friends! And I fully support the inclusion of Calvinball!


Take the test to find out how good a Calvinball player you really are.

http://www.helloquizzy.com/tests/how-good-of-a-calvinball-player-are-you


I scored in the top 2%! I'm either amazing or a total geek...

[blueskyscribe]

I fully support Calvinball!

"Here's the very sorry song, won't you help and sing alooong?"