For one of the greatest games of all-time, Mouse Trap isn't a very good game. Most people just build the trap and turn the crank to set it in motion. The idea of moving the mice tokens and putting the trap together as you play is secondary at best. Yet is was an extremely influential game upon its release in 1963, because it ushered in an era of large plastic games that towered above the formerly flat paper and cardboard games that preceded it. Invented by Marvin Glass & Associates, Mouse Trap was clearly a Rube Goldberg inspired invention.Rube Goldberg was a Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, best known for his "INVENTION" cartoons. Usually a series of outlandish props, pets, and people positioned together to form a contraption that accomplished the simplest of everyday tasks, Rube's creations spoke our human tendency to over-complicate our lives.
Rube would be proud of these young inventors, competing in the 2009 National Rube Goldberg Machine Contest. Their challenge? Replace an incandescent light bulb with a more energy efficient light emitting design.
2 comments:
I've kinda thought the same thing... quite a long wait before you see any trap action.
"Rube's creations spoke our human tendency to over-complicate our lives..."
...really? I thought he was just having a good time. I think that maybe you're over-complicating his intentions with that statement...
just having a good time! ;-)
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