NO WRITING – JUST GAMES

Creative Space Tic Tac Toe

Think outside the box 📦

Wanna Play?

Which version of the game?

• Classics one?
• Ultimate Tic Tac Toe?
• Strip Tac Toe?

Before Beating a Bicho to Dust

Tic Tac Toe can be a lifesaver when waiting at the hospital when waiting for your kid to get processed. You just need a very simple way to kill time when you are not prepared for that. Like rushing to the emergency at 02:00 AM for something uncalled for. You might not even have a pen and paper.

After two hours and exhausting the vending machine options, you get bored to death. Your brain is flatlined. Your kid is not kidding about how much his tommy hurts. His name is Tommy, by the way.

So you do what parents do or caring human. You get ultra creative to kill pain and divert time. Or vice versa?

Hey hurting Tommy, why don’t we play SPACE Tic Tac Toe?

Tom: like in space space?

Bicho: Yeah!

Tom: Will Elon Musk allow us? What if there’s a crocket jumping in front of us?

Bicho: 😅 that is a good one, Tommy. A rocket or a cricket?

Tom: Both! Anyway, let’s play! How can we play?

Bicho: Tommy, it’s easier than the basic version but more complex. Since you play in space, you need no bars! Are you blipping?

Tom: No. Tommy hurts badly. More candies from the friendly big box over there?

Bicho: No way! Let’s play. Ok. See this?

Tom: Sure but… is that all you got, space-Bicho? Are you botching creativity here?

Bicho: Hold on your horsy horses, Tom. Do you see the bars? We don’t need them anymore! Bars are now prohibited for better freedom!

Tom: But, but, but! Without the bars, the kisses and donuts will flee or fall flat and splat in a mishmash on the floor!

Bicho: This is where you missed the key point about space! Let’s start shall-oui?

Tom: Oui!! …Hey? Where can I play?

Bicho: That is the fun part, Tom. What I do first doesn’t matter much. We could always start with an X – or an O – on that blank slate. What matters is where you will slate the next one. My first move is not really one. It means nothing other than starting the game and spawning an imaginary board to be defined further. No first-mover advantage! See the image here? The grid is just to help visualize but don’t let it box you.

Tom: Why it’s all alone in the void? I’m confused. What a stupid game!

Bicho: Patience, you little punk. You haven’t played yet. Look at the shades now. These are all the places where you could play your next move.

Tom: It’s crap, you took the center. You told me to always take the center when I start a game. It’s not fair, I don’t want to play. Space out!

Bicho: I didn’t take the center unless you decided so with your following moves, which will shape the board. And mine. It’s like in life, you have your goals and perspectives, I have mine. By negotiating together — playing this game — we will form the next reality for this board. Look at these different perspectives.

• Left image: I played center.
• Middle image: I played the bottom right corner
• Right image: I played top middle.

Bicho: Remember Tom, there are no bars to define the game board yet. Think outside the box, Tom.

Tom: 💡 Outside the bars! I get it. Here’s what I play, the middle. Boom! What happens next if I play this? Can we add the bars back now? They will fall! Can we?

Bicho: Not so fast, Speedy Cranberry. Are you sure you played the board’s center? That is what your perspective — the darker shades — and that is what you want, right? I want the center, too, and will play tooth and tail for it.

Securing center or not, do you see how your move shaped the board? We can’t use the cells at the bottom anymore, nor the ones at the right. The only way you could see the center is if I play within your perspective — the darker shades of the board. The game is still wide open for me.

Tom, observe how the infinite space is now shaping each time someone plays. The bars are initially nonexistent (first move), then imaginary (second move), and become hypothetical after the 3rd move. See? At first, many possibilities. Now that I play like this, can you see the bars' position is solidifying as we play? You may think I played within your perspectives — you have the center — but that could be a trap.

Bicho waves hands in all directions on the paper, which prevents Tommy to play his turn.

Tom: Move out, I wanna play my turn! Woah, this is so cool! I can shape the board region and kick your butt! Take that Bongo-Bicho, I’m invading the space!

Tommy plays

Bicho: Haha! Space invader! That’s a smart blocking move Brainy-Jelly, because I had two x’s aligned, ready for a win at the top or bottom. There is still wiggle room to define the board contour though. Here’s my savvy reply, now closing the board. Bam!

Tom: Not so fast, Smarty Pants! I see what you are doing. What do you say about this, huh? Closed board or not, sorry to say, I’m closing the game on you. You are cornered, Corn-Head! 😅

Tommy’s jumping all over the waiting hospital room and seems to forget his abdomen was hurting so much. Can’t be an appendicitis. Even though Bicho is losing this Space Tic Tac Toe game, he is not losing the distracting Tommy one. Smarty pants indeed!

Bicho: Haha! Corn-Head? Ok, Ok, I see I’m pretty stuck there, looks like a great chess move! Argh. I won’t surrender yet and play this lame sword swipe in the wind. If I could only play another move after yours! Could I?

Tom: No way, nice try. Ok-dooky, donkey! Here is the final grace with grace. Poof, dropping this final move on your toe. I’ll tell Tic & Tac.

Bicho: Bravo Tommy-o! Do you want to play anot…

Tom: I won! Quick, can I cheat now?

Bicho: Cheat? Tommy, cheating is not an option and you already won. Why would you cheat?

Tom: My tommy! I really need to cheat!

Bicho: !!! Everyone, make space, a concrete bar’s coming!

Takeaway

• Note that this game is a good and easy way to practice/develop your special visualization skills. You may notice that the board can spin in multiple ways. Try different moves and see if the starter always wins or stinks.
• Why don’t you look like a Smart Apricot tonight and see if your partner or friends can think outside of the box with this game or if they have a schtick schtuck shomewhere. Or a bar. 😂

Epilogue

I take all credits for this story and for this game. I invented this about 5 years ago and I thought I would get rich selling space and virtual bars.

I was impressed by the creative idea but then thought some smart Allen Wrench could have invented the same. So I searched the net… and searched. I didn’t want to find it for obvious reasons. It was not rocket science and not as exciting as I thought it was. Then I found a site repertoire listing the many ways you could play Tic Tac Toe. Some lame, some interesting. There it was, listed as no 6, the description about how to play without a grid. 🤬

I don’t care. In my mind, I invented it in a needy situation – hospital for my kid – and that’s how creativity often emerges. When there is a pressing need, a necessity to solve something using uncommon means.

So I kept my day job and kept pushing beans instead of spacy X’s and O’s and never thought more about it until today when Mark launched his Pub. Voilà!

If you even invented it too, I’m very happy for you, it’s a great concept. Let’s play!

BichoDoMato

References:

• Ultimate Tic Tac Toe explained by The Game Gal
• Google’s Tic Tac Toe — go on and waste an hour!

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