Anomia: recognised medical condition gives birth to outrageously fun new party game!
Quick tell me the name of zoo animal, a shampoo brand or an olympic sport! Did you get those out easily and quickly? Did you struggle? Exciting new party game, Anomia, turns common knowledge into over the top fun!
Anomia (uh-NO-mee-uh)is a recognised neurological condition that impairs one’s ability to name people and objects. When under pressure in the fast-paced recall game by the same name, the condition tends to strike! One game of Anomia where you struggle to call out answers that are ‘on the tip of your tongue’, and you’ll understand how aptly named the game is!
This speedy game will test your common knowledge response times. Not only do you need to know the name of a ‘video game’ or a ‘sculptor’, but you need to be able to recall it quickly and call it out before your opponent does. You’ll see the brain works quite differently under pressure!
The rules are simple. Each player draws a card from the centre pile and flips it over. If the symbol on your card matches the one on any other player’s card you must quickly face-off with them by shouting out an example of the person, place or thing on their card, before they can do the same for yours. If you flip a ‘dog breed’ card and your opponent flips a ‘frozen food’ card, you yell out a dog breed like “poodle” before they yell out an answer like “peas”. The first person to yell out a correct answer keeps their opponents card and the aim of the game is to collect the most cards.
It sounds simple but under the pressure of the fast-paced game you’ll be surprised how difficult it can be to get your answers out quickly and correctly. It can be your turn at any time and anyone can be your opponent! Wild cards and Cascades add another level of fun and challenge to Anomia.
You won’t find a big game company behind this clever new game. It was created by a dad who funded the development and production himself. It has taken more than ten years and five prototypes for Andrew Innes to get the product right. Word of mouth and social media have seen the game take off in the States. “I love that Anomia is an inexpensive form of entertainment that brings family and friends together,” Andrew explains, “especially when that entertainment makes people shout random things at one another and laugh out loud!”
As a game designed to keep the mind sharp, it’s no wonder Anomia has been Honoured for Excellence by Mensa, the High IQ Society. Anomia can also be a great tool to help children and young adults improve their vocabulary and linguistic agility. It’s also a fantastic form of mental exercise for seniors and a great way for non-English speakers to improve their language skills.
Anomia was also awarded “2010 – Party Game of the Year” in the United States (by ASTRA the Association of Specialist Retailers)
Anomia is fun to play with family, friends or even strangers! It’s easy to learn and hilarious to play. Players are engaged and focused and answers tend to become louder and louder over the course of the game! The mistakes players blurt out under pressure add to the hilarity. A “car crash” is a ‘natural disaster’? We don’t think so!
Anomia is best played with 3 – 6 players, aged 10 to adult. One round lasts around 30 minutes. Two rounds are recommended.
