'A Guide to Summoning Spirits, Divining the Future, and Invoking the Supernatural.'
'Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark collects the most sinister, fascinating, and unsettling games based on urban legends and folklore from around the world, some of which have been told and played for generations. Centuries-old games such as "Bloody Mary" and "Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board" are detailed alongside new games from the internet age, like "The Answer Man," a sinister voice that whispers secrets to whomever manages to contact him with a cell phone. Anyone can play these games using easily accessible materials and a little patience, but beware who - or what - might come out to play.'
My Review
A little over a year ago, I found myself regularly watching a string of YouTube videos that were focused on urban legends and rituals, the occult, and summoning games. There is a substantial amount of these videos on YouTube, and during this period I was practically addicted to watching them. It somehow reminded me of my younger days back in Primary School. I vividly remember myself at twelve-years-old, standing in front of a semi-darkened mirror in my friend's bathroom and plucking up the courage to utter the name 'Bloody Mary' in a chant three times, while a small white candle danced about in the mirror's reflection beside me. Mind you, nothing actually happened. We didn't see the ghost of Bloody Mary; I still have both my eyes intact, and I didn't come out of the bathroom with any visible scratches, injuries, or white hair for that matter - neither did my friend. Although, we did do a lot of cringe-worthy whining and screaming. Kids hey?
Regardless that we didn't see anything that day, I've never once thought that it's impossible to actually summon something from playing these types of games, or that these legends we grew up with simply aren't real. I think our results that day were inconclusive due to our surroundings. We didn't have a room that was pitch black - it was still half-lit by sunlight streaming in through the windows (we tried to cover them up as best as we could), we didn't have complete silence inside the house, and we could barely stand still for five seconds in front of the mirror without screaming and running out of the bathroom. At the time, we were just young and foolish girls trying to prove something to ourselves by being brave. Curiosity killed the cat, you know.
Around the same time that I was religiously watching these YouTube videos of random people spooking themselves for fun (or for online views), I was researching various occult and ritual based games and legends that I, myself, was unfamiliar with. Through digging around I stumbled upon a website called The Ghost in My Machine - a website that explores and elaborates upon urban legends and scary games - just what I wanted!
I spent the next few months reading through its content online, until one day I noticed that the creator of this fabulous website, Lucia Peters, had a book release coming up. She had written a book based upon these exact games, rituals, and urban legends, called 'Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark: A Guide to Summoning Spirits, Divining the Future, and Invoking the Supernatural.' It only took me just over a year, but I finally ended up purchasing the book. I managed to read through its contents quickly – as it is only a short read, but MY GOSH... I was impressed!
Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark is an exciting and terrifying instructional 'how to' guidebook, containing the backgrounds, history, methodology, and general information you wish to know about various types of occult, ritual games, and urban legends. These games can be played in groups or alone and all range in severity. Each game is categorised into sections within the book and each game has its own danger rating (risk level: low, medium or high), which tells you how dangerous the game is to play, additional warnings are included as well - this advises you of anything you need to know about objects used in the game that may cause physical harm to you or your surroundings if not monitored properly (fire, sharp objects, etc.). The book also has an objective for each game - the reward or achievement earned by the player if they should win (more like survive). You can expect to see a small handful of well-known game names, such as Bloody Mary, Light as a Feather, Stiff as a Board, The Midnight Game, and even games like Hide and Seek Alone, or, Musical Chairs Alone.
Lucia has done amazing and extensive research, and from that, created this unique and original little book of scares for everyone to enjoy. The background history, original names and origins of the games, rituals, and legends is fascinating to read about before diving into the explanation of how each game is played. This book is creepy, dark, and an ultimately daring read for the bravest of souls.
Please be forewarned, this book is not to be taken lightly! These games and rituals - as Lucia mentions - are not guaranteed to succeed or fail but should be played at your own discretion and with deep consideration beforehand. Think long and hard about what you choose to do with the contents of this book, and the risks you are willing to take. If you should play one of these games, play wisely. For all we know, there could be something waiting for us... in the dark.
WARNING: The games and rituals documented within this book should be played with caution. Play at your own risk.
I rated 'Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark' 5/5 on Goodreads.
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'Dangerous Games to Play in the Dark' by Lucia Peters.
Published: September, 2019, Chronicle Books.
Resources:
The Ghost in My Machine - stories of the strange and unusual, home page, Retrieved 21 April, 2021, from https://theghostinmymachine.com/
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