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Whamageddon

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Whamageddon
Years active2010–present
Playing time1–24 December
ChancePartially
SkillsStrategy

Whamageddon is a game played during the 24 days before Christmas in which players try to go from 1 December to the end of Christmas Eve (24 December) without hearing "Last Christmas" by Wham!. If the player hears the song between those days, they are out of the game and have to post "#Whamageddon" on social media to indicate that they have lost. The exceptions to this game are that the player can only listen to remixes and cover versions of the song. Whilst not encouraged on the website, but technically still a part of the rules, a player can send another player the song, or play it to them so that the other player loses the game, although Whamageddon is described as a survival game, as opposed to a battle royale game.[1][2][3][4][5] A similar game on social media uses the hashtag '#PogueWatch' to see how long you can do without hearing the song 'A Fairytale of New York' by the Pogues.

History

One of the earliest documented versions of Whamageddon appeared on GTPlanet, a sim racing-themed online forum, in 2010, under the name "GTPlanet vs. Wham! - Last Christmas". The rules were nearly the same, apart from the game having no defined start date and ending at midnight on 31 December, and the presence of the song within the discussion thread itself being prohibited.[6]

In 2016, a Facebook page was created for Whamageddon under its new name and revised dates.[7] In 2017, the game was described on Boing Boing and Lifehacker.[8][9] In December 2018, British stand-up comedian, Romesh Ranganathan explained the rules of Whamageddon to his 416,000+ Twitter followers.[10] Because of his tweet, mainstream and local news websites online also picked up on the popularity of the game.[11][12][13][14]

Whamageddon is featured each year on PrimordialRadio and also features on the Dave Berry Breakfast Show on Absolute Radio.[15]

Gameplay

Rules adapted from the official website of Whamageddon.[16]

  • The player must go as long as possible without hearing Wham!'s Christmas song, "Last Christmas"
  • The game starts on the 1st of December and ends at "the end of December 24th" (i.e., 23:59 December 24).
  • Only the original version of "Last Christmas" applies, the player can listen to remixes and covers of the song
  • The player is out as soon as they recognise the original version of the song
  • The player must post "#Whamageddon" on social media as soon as they lose the game
  • Players can play on a "player vs player" if they wish, by sending links to the song to friends to try and get them out of the game, although it is not encouraged
  • Playing "Last Christmas" outside another competitor's house is considered dastardly and should be avoided.
  • Editing videos to trick someone into playing the song themselves is allowed, although it is frowned upon and often considered a dishonorable move.
  • An acceptable alternative is to (previously) pair your mobile device with your competitor’s Alexa device (inside their home) and then WhamBomb! them from outside.

Once a player has lost they are sent to 'Whamhalla', in which they are unable to return until the game begins again the next year.[16]

Usual places where players get knocked out tend to be cafes, shopping centres, drive-time radio, and Christmas work parties. When a player is unexpectedly knocked out, this is known as a 'Whambush'.

Alternative variations

Other variations of this game exist, based on other Christmas songs. One features "Fairytale of New York" by the Pogues, and originated on Twitter in 2016. The only rules that apply to this version of the game is no "Poguerolling" (sending the link to friends online intentionally). As with Whamageddon, the player is out as soon as they recognise the song and accidentally hear it, whether it is in a supermarket or on the radio, or in another public place.[citation needed]


Since the death of Wham!'s George Michael on Christmas Day in 2016, the GTPlanet forums has used Mariah Carey's "All I Want For Christmas is You" as an alternative challenge.[17] This version of the game is termed "ApoCareypse", and all of the original rules apply. A similar challenge with the same song and similar rules, "Mariahpocalypse", surfaced on Facebook in the late 2010s. It begins on Black Friday and ends at midnight on December 26.[citation needed]

In New Zealand, "Snoopy's Christmas" is sometimes used as the featured song.[citation needed]

Another version is WhamHunter where players get a point each time they hear it. This allows enjoyment of Christmas music and not having to worry when walking through a shopping centre or when the radio is playing in the car. The only rule is hearing it must be organic (i.e. don't have it on repeat).[citation needed]

A Polish version is entitled Świąteczny Golf Muzyczny (Christmas Music Golf). The game starts on 1 November and players are not allowed to hear remixes and covers.[citation needed]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Whamageddon". www.whamageddon.com. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  2. ^ "Are you playing Whamageddon? The fight to avoid hearing Last Christmas is on". www.irishnews.com. 5 December 2018. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  3. ^ Herbert, Tom (5 December 2018). "Here's how to play Whamageddon". www.standard.co.uk. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  4. ^ Mason, Alistair (4 December 2018). "Are you playing Whamageddon? The fight to avoid hearing Last Christmas is on". www.independent.ie. Retrieved 6 December 2018.
  5. ^ "Whamageddon is the Christmas game you've never heard of but everyone is playing". www.heart.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  6. ^ "GTPlanet vs. Wham! - Last Christmas - GTPlanet". www.gtplanet.net. 3 November 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2018.
  7. ^ "Whamageddon - Posts". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  8. ^ Douglas, Nick (5 December 2017). "Win This Game by Never Hearing Wham's 'Last Christmas'". www.lifehacker.com. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  9. ^ Blazenhoff, Rusty (6 December 2017). "Goodbye LDB game, Hello Whamageddon". www.boingboing.net. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  10. ^ Ranganathan, Romesh (30 November 2018). "Romesh Ranganathan on Twitter". www.twitter.com. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  11. ^ "Are you playing Whamageddon?". www.theguideliverpool.co.uk. 4 December 2018. Archived from the original on 9 December 2018. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  12. ^ Association 2018, Press (5 December 2018). "Are you playing Whamageddon? The fight to avoid hearing Last Christmas is on". www.worcesternews.co.uk. Retrieved 9 December 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  13. ^ {{cite web |last1=Fry |first1=Ben |title=#Whamageddon |url=https://www.minsterfm.com/blogs/ben-and-roxy/whamageddon/ |website=www.ministerfm.com |accessdate=9 December 2018 }
  14. ^ Murphy, Sandra (5 December 2018). "Are You Playing Whamageddon? Avoiding George Michael Is Tough!". www.extra.ie. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  15. ^ "Primordial Radio - Rock, Metal and Beyond". Primordial Radio - Rock, Metal and Beyond. Retrieved 2019-12-17.
  16. ^ a b "Whamageddon". Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  17. ^ "GTPlanet vs. Mariah Carey [2019]". 4 November 2019. Retrieved 30 November 2020.
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