“Please God, I Have So Little: Don’t Take Scrabulous Too.”

The New York Times, normally a good two years behind when it comes to trend spotting, hit a bullseye this Sunday when they printed a front-page article that can explain to my family where I've been the last two months: playing Scrabble online. (Registration required to view the story.)

As someone who currently has nine games going with people in Boston, London, New York, Los Angeles, and Austin, Texas -- tell me, what other reason is there for someone my age to join Facebook? -- I felt a chill settle over me as I read about the threats to shut down Scrabulous, as the application is known.

The Agarwalla brothers of Bombay, India, designed the application and took it to Facebook in 2007. They currently make about $25,000 a month from online advertising on the game pages, and Mattel and Hasbro are all, "What is this In-ter-net of which you speak? For if it doth require batteries, it is indeed to moderne for my taste."

Fans of Scrabulous are saying it's creating fans out of people who never liked the board game, but the game companies haven't released the sales figures that would show if that love is turning into profit for them. In the meantime, Hasbro is trying to launch its own online version of Scrabble, and Mattel is working with the Agarwallas to bring an "official" version of Scrabble to Facebook. Whatever, guys! Just freakin' figure it out and someday maybe I'll get enough points to beat Laid-off Dad again.

Comments

[Sils]

There is this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_Scrabble_Club

Which my boyfriend and I played before there was ever a Scrabbulous and we were living 1200 miles apart. It's different, but similar. It looks really old school.

[Amber]

If they take away my Scrabulous, I will protest. It's time Scrabble belonged to the masses, not Hasbro and Mattel. Scrabble should belong to everyone, like chess or parcheesi.

[Mrs. Kennedy]

Seriously, it's one of those games that's been around so long it feels like public domain. Can't we all just get along!