Cards Against Humanity Brings Us All Together

Cards Against Humanity certainly isn’t a new thing anymore. Nor is it just a passing fad. It is a legitimate game that has moved millions of units, produced four expansions and has given their developers a powerful voice in the industry. Yet, I am not here to review the game, nor am I going to explain how it is played. All of the information is easily available online. Hell, you can go to www.cardsagainsthumanity.com and download the game for free.

I’m here to tell you how this game brought the most unlikely group of people closer together than I ever thought was possible.

Working in retail is a potentially awful experience. Working in retail during the holidays is even worse. However, working in retail with people you don’t even like is by far the worst.

Working in retail is a potentially awful experience. Working in retail during the holidays is even worse. However, working in retail with people you don’t even like is by far the worst. I have had the privilege of working at the Lego store at my local mall for over a year now. I have never had a serious problem with any of my coworkers, but that doesn’t mean that there isn’t constantly drama in our store. People are mad at each other for the most stupid things. Sabotaging does occur, and gossip is almost a daily phenomenon.

About once a month, we all go out to dinner to spend some time together outside the stressful environment of our store. And although everyone is kind enough to one another, it is clear who gets along the most and who does not. Silly things like wanting to sit next to certain people cause minor disturbances akin to those of a junior high cafeteria. And since we usually go to one sports bar or another, the inevitable alcohol consumption only makes matters worse once an argument crops up.

So during our latest trip together as a group, one of my coworkers decided to bring her set of Cards Against Humanity.

I had heard of it before but had never played the game. When it was described to me as Apples to Apples for adults, I thought it would be fun. And it didn’t take long to find out just how much fun it would be.

When a running joke within the community, and even the developers of the game, refers to ‘different sized, dark, phallic objects’, you know you are going to have a good night.

And right after our first round of the game was over, I saw the strangest thing happen. People started moving around the table and talking to people they normally never would. This game, full of the most awful and disturbing combinations of cards was bringing together people that had only hours prior been complaining about lack of hours and poor management. 

“What’s that smell? Auschwitz.” is CAH in a nutshell.

My coworkers are fathers, mothers, single, engaged, in school, live at home, black, white, gay and everything in between. Not to say that we are discriminatory towards each other, but whilst playing a game that makes fun of such labels, we all became closer, and dare I say, friends.

Cards Against Humanity opened an avenue through which we felt more comfortable talking to each other about important issues and problems each of us were facing on a daily basis.

The fact that we had all agreed to take part in the humorous and raucous fun that is created by the game, we realized that no one is who you think they are just from reading the surface.

When the only mother on our staff plays “Here is the church, here is the steeple. Open the doors and there is” + “A Big Black Dick,” you instantly know that every one has a wild and secretive side. And by the end of the night many of the waiters and waitresses would take turns stopping by our table and playing a round too.

Since that night the atmosphere in the store is so much lighter than it was before; you can sense that everyone enjoys coming into work to see each other.

We have now even started going to each others houses to play the game as well as almost all of us now own a copy. So, in a twisted sort of way, a game that takes pride in being described as inappropriate and raunchy brought a group of people together in ways I never thought imaginable. And for that I am very happy.