#48: Passport to the Hood and NBA Talk with Chrissy and Anthony Kent, SociaLaughs
After years in corporate America moving up the ranks of the finance and tech industries, Chrissy and Anthony Kent decided to make a change and create games inspired by their life experiences growing up in Black culture. The result? SociaLaughs, a company featuring inclusive card games designed to introduce and celebrate the nuances of Black experience – including hip-hop, rap, comedy, pop culture, sports, entertainment, politics, and more.
In this episode, we’re chatting through the five SociaLaughs games: Passport to the Hood Vols. 1, 2, and 3; CelebSaid; and Story of My Life. More details on the games are below and I can attest — they are a ton of fun to play.
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Highlights of our conversation include:
Why Anthony and Chrissy wanted to create a card game and the importance of thinking about the entertainment factor while developing it. (4:18)
What goes into the design of a game, from building the initial prototype to writing rules everyone can follow and working on design elements. (5:56)
How the SociaLaughs team has created a marketing strategy for their games during the pandemic. (9:12)
The most surprising and impressive things about running a business. (11:03)
A run-through of each SociaLaughs game, including the three versions of Passport to the Hood, CelebSaid, and Story of My Life. (12:18)
We’re talking some basketball! How to keep up with all the trades that happen during the offseason, being a “fan” of the NBA team located closest to where you currently live, the passion and influence of Stephen A. Smith, some postseason predictions, and our favorite dunks from across NBA history. And yes, we did record this before the season tipped off, so we did accurately predict the James Harden trade to the Nets 😄 (16:48)
What’s coming down the pipeline for future SociaLaughs games. (34:53)
Chrissy and Anthony share the top three cards from the SociaLaughs family of games. (35:37)
Where to find SociaLaughs:
You can grab a copy of any of the games — including some sweet combo packs — on the SociaLaughs website or through Amazon. Learn more about each game below.
Passport to the Hood
This game includes 3 volumes – and highlights hilarious moments of urban culture, says everything that you hear behind closed doors and reflects the things we experienced growing up. You are ready to play this game if you know: 1) What to do when you see people run 2) A New Yorker’s favorite word 3) What snitches get 4) What the PJ’s mean 4) What not to do at a cookout. The objective of the game is to not lose points by predicting what answers the opposing teams will select.
CelebSaid
The game that revives your favorite quotes, catchphrases and lines from some of our most beloved Black celebs. You are ready to play this game if you know these quotes...He shot me in my pinky toe. If the glove doesn't fit, you must acquit. King Kong ain't got sh*t on me. You ain't got to lie, Craig. 86 Quote cards, 4 Go cards and 16 Decision cards.
Story of My Life
Designed specifically for women, Story of My Life is fun-filled journey highlighting the social, personal and cultural experiences that cultivate the life stories of women. Play this game and find out what stories you have in common with your girlfriends.
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