In the first installment of popular fiction flick, "Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone", we witnessed how a game of "chess" came alive. However, that was all magic and make-believe. But if you ever wanted to play a board game in real life, Japan might just make your dream come true.
According to several news reports, the island of Yoron in Japan is adapting the most popular American board game of all times, "The Game of Life" or "Life" as it is famously known, into a real-life event. Starting on July 20, Yoron is hosting a real-life version of the game. The island has been transformed to look just like the board game.
The game will feature all the authentic pieces and components of the game including life size roulette and a bus that will usher participants from marriage to retirement. The island will be divided into four sections and each section will have a game board and a spinner.
The authenticity is being taken utmost care of. The bus that will carry passengers will be topped with the blue and pink cardboard pins that are used in the game. Participants will be charged just $5 for entry and they will be given a map, clues and fake "Game of Life" currency as well. No jackpot prize money is allotted; however, authorities say that no one will return home broke, reports Yahoo.com.
But why did the island come up with such an absurd idea suddenly?
Two reasons. One, the island bears a striking resemblance to the board game. During a typhoon season that left life battered in the area, the head of the Chamber of Commerce had some guests over, along with children. They stayed indoors and played board games all the while and that is when he noticed the similarity, not only in the topography but also the cycle of life.
"He had some guests with young children and didn't have power. They didn't have anything to do except play board games. At that time he realized that the piece of the game looked just like Yoron," Takanori Iwamoto, member of the Commerce Chamber who is also helping organize the event, said in an interview with ABC News.
The second reason for hosting the event is to boost tourism on the island. Authorities believe that it is a very creative and exciting way to lure tourists to the island. They hope that the influx of travelers will restore their shaky economy, which went kaput due to the typhoons.
"We are currently still repairing and restoring a lot of the area. Roofs were ripped off of hotels and other buildings. The population has decreased and there are not enough people to help rebuild the area. So, this event isn't just fun, it is part of a larger restoration plan," Iwamoto said in the interview.
The event will continue until September 19, 2013. The news has already started garnering a lot of buzz from people. While some people think it would be fun and are suggesting similar ventures for other games like "Trouble" and "hungry Hippos", others are a little skeptical about it.
"It's when I read an article like this makes you wonder how long it will be until a real life Godzilla appears in a Tokyo zoo, "really it's harmless, whats the worse that could happen?" one comment read.
Another said:
"Thats either A: some people with some serious money that are bored out their mind. or B: happening on another universe that resembles earth!!"
