Other Cosplay Moms and I discuss the challenges of being a middle-aged lady in a youth-dominated hobby.

What to cosplay? How much to hover and how much freedom to give the cosplay children? Can I possibly stay up late enough for a rave that starts at 11pm?

But at Kawa Kon this past weekend I discovered a new challenge: playing raunchy card games with slightly embarrassed college guys.

I was wandering about at the con, in cosplay, chatting with cosplay Moms and Dads, and sat down at a table for a fun talk with a Cosplay Grandma.  (Go grandma!)

As we talked, an amiable bunch of early twentysomethings sat down at the other end of the table and began playing a game.

Now, table top gaming, and spontaneous break-outs of card games are a convention staple- I recognize Magic the Gathering and Pokemon, but I didn’t recognize this game.  So I was nosy and half-paid attention to how it was played.

I gathered that it was much like “Apples to Apples”

In that game, a category like “risky” is read by one person and then all the other players choose people/places/things named on the cards in their hand to try and be the one who picks the card that is most “risky”.  (It’s a tough call with the cards above. I think I’d go with the Bates Motel)

So when I was done chatting with Cosplay grandma, I innocently asked these guys, “so is that game like Apples to Apples?”

Yes…..they allowed. “But 18+.” Got it.

But then they surprised me by saying, “You should play!” and then dealed me in.

Ok. I’m a college professor. Little shocks me.  I’m game and hard to offend with off-color humor or sexual innuendo.

Good thing.

These young men were playing a game called “Cards Against Humanity”- a game whose tagline is “A party game for horrible people”

It’s a lot like Apples to Apples, except you get situations like: “Instead of coal, Santa Claus is now giving naughty children……” and everyone chooses the funniest answer. Like the squirt gun of cat pee pictured above.

Of course, many of the answer cards are not very subtle dirty humor- and I was playing with a table full of college guys.

(For the record, I had, and played one card that was “Harry Potter Erotica.” Still trying to get my head around that one.)

Like all con-goers I’ve ever met, they were friendly and welcoming, even to a Mom-

until it came time to play and they realized what they’d done. 

That example above is the first situation card I read.  One of the young men across the table (The Scout Legion member) thought he had the PERFECT answer. He was excited. I could see it- and then I saw his face change.

He showed his choice to the guy next to him.

“You can’t give her THAT!” the horrified compatriot exclaimed……and they struggled with the perfection of the answer and the inappropriateness of giving it to a lady their Mom’s age.

I will never know what he decided to do for sure, but I’m here to tell you, some of those guys gave me definitely R to NC17-rated suggestions for what Santa is giving to the naughty children.

I went with “Dick Cheney” as my chosen answer however, because that seems like a particularly appropriate gift for very bad children.

and, as one young man to my right noted, “Dick Cheney always wins.”

I’m grateful to the intrepid band of young men whose natural inclination was to go against ageism or sexism to naturally include me without a second thought.

What a great time.

Thanks for letting me play, guys!