Comedy clickbait website ClickHole has made a party game, Business Walrus
Create a game-changing toilet accessory haunted by the ghost of a Victorian child, then sing its jingle.
ClickHole, a parody of popular websites such as Buzzfeed originally created as a spin-off from satirical news outlet The Onion, has launched its own party board game.
For those unfamiliar with ClickHole, the website is to viral outlets such as Buzzfeed what The Onion is to traditional news, posting a swathe of surreal and satirical content in the form of lists, “You’ll Never Believe What Happened Next” articles, quizzes and other such ‘clickbait’ posts typically designed to be shared far and wide on the internet.
Founded in 2014 as a spin-off from The Onion, ClickHole was acquired by party game company Cards Against Humanity - best known for the card game of the same name - in early 2020.
ClickHole’s newly announced party game Business Walrus appears to share some similarities with Cards Against Humanity, featuring a deck of minimalist cards with stark text that prompt answers from the players, as well as other improv-led games such as Funemployed and Jackbox Party Pack game Patently Stupid.
The game seemingly moves away from CAH’s fill-the-blank format by challenging players to instead pitch their inventions out-loud to the titular billionaire investor, who also happens to be a walrus. Cards include “asks” - which require players to create a product based on the requirement - and “must haves”, which augment their invention with necessary features. Walrus Surprise cards add in an extra gameplay twist during pitches - for example, by requiring the players to sing a jingle for their product or explain why the previous player’s invention was a bad idea.
The 500 cards were written by the ClickHole team and appear to lean into the same absurd humour as the website - “must be haunted by the ghost of a Victorian child” and “must be surgically implanted on the user” are two possible ‘must have’ prompts. The card game is recommended for players 17 and older.
Cards Against Humanity faced allegations last summer of a "toxic work environment", including accusations of racism and sexism made against its founders.
Following ClickHole's acquisition last year, it was announced that the site would continue to operate independently from Cards Against Humanity, with ClickHole's employees becoming the majority owners of the site. Cards Against Humanity would reportedly provide "financial support" and advice (via Buzzfeed News). It is not clear how sales of Business Walrus will be split between ClickHole and its parent company.
Business Walrus players in 30 to 90 minutes with four players and up. It’s available on Cards Against Humanity’s online store for $20/£19.