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10 Surprising Facts About Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

First published May 17, 20231 min read

Here are ten surprising facts about RPSLS:

  1. The game was invented by Sam Kass and Karen Bryla, who were inspired by the game of RPS and wanted to add more elements to it.

  2. The game has five elements: Rock, which crushes Scissors; Scissors, which cuts Paper; Paper, which covers Rock; Lizard, which poisons Spock; and Spock, who vaporizes Rock.

  3. Sheldon Cooper claims that RPSLS “vastly improves” the game by giving it a more complex structure and adding two new game objects.

  4. Since the game involves two additional objects, it is better for two people to play it rather than just one.

  5. The game can be played with a deck of cards designed specifically for RPSLS.

  6. RPSLS can also be played online as there are many websites where people can play the game for free.

  7. There is a World Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock Championships that takes place annually in Toronto, Canada, where people from all around the world gather to compete for the title.

  8. The game has gained so much popularity that even NASA created an online version of RPSLS that can be played against the computer.

  9. The game is also used in many educational institutions as a tool for teaching probability and game theory.

  10. Some people believe that playing RPSLS can improve cognitive skills such as decision making since it involves analyzing multiple variables.

In conclusion, Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock has become a popular game worldwide, and its complex structure and added game objects have made it a challenging game to play. It is interesting to see how a simple game like RPS can evolve into a complex game like RPSLS, and how it can be used as a tool in education and even by NASA.