After developing a debilitating addiction to Scrabulous, the Scrabble copy-cat game Facebook application, I was devastated to hear about Hasbro suing the popular game’s creators, which lead to the removal of the game from the site entirely. A Facebook replacement, WordScraper, soon followed, but players had to design their own game board, so you could make it just like a Scrabble board if you really wanted, but it was a lot of work. Finally, a few months ago, Scrabulous re-appeared, this time under the name Lexulous, but based on a separate website that allowed me (and my mom, of course) to play long, drawn-out, high-scoring games over e-mail.
However, tragedy struck once more last week when I discovered Lexulous’ game rules had changed completely. Instead of being basically a Scrabble clone, the game board layout is totaly different, and players are given eight tiles instead of the regulation Scrabble seven. Blasphemy! I couldn’t bring myself to even try starting a game; after a lifetime of Scrabble, there was no way I could reprogram my brain to operate under different rules. The rule changes were apparently what lead to today’s news that Hasbro finally dropped its lawsuit against Scrabulous’ India-based creators.
I commenced a grueling search for online Scrabble alternatives, even (gasp!) possibly buying a Hasbro-made, computer version of the game. However, the legitimate version of the game didn’t provide a way for my mom and I to take turns over time, and I couldn’t find any reliable unauthorized versions still in existence. Until somewhere, deep in a Google search, I discovered Hasbro has an official, overly graphics- and sound effects-laden, beta, Facebook version! It’s not the minimalist Scrabulous we first fell in love with, but Mom and I have been using it to much success (I’m winning by a hair, mostly thanks to “QUILLS” for 70 points).
Hopefully it will become smoother and a little less overdone once it moves out of Beta mode, but the best thing about the game is that it’s Hasbro-branded, meaning I need not fear it ever disappearing due to any copyright matters. However, instead of the tears of joy I thought I would’ve cried after evil, Scrabulous-hating Hasbro finally dropped their lawsuit, I am a little sad. Scrabulous brought the wonders of Scrabble back to the young, social-networking masses, and Hasbro bullied the game into non-existence. And now they’re trying to reap all the benefits and lure former Scrabulous users to their bloated Facebook rendition.
I’m also a little sad for myself. By using the official version I’ve given into “the man” and ignored all that Scrabulous has done for my life. Instead of boycotting the not-very-popular Hasbro game in the name of Scrabulous and its supporters, I’ve fully adopted it in the name of a horrible, horrible, Scrabble addiction (slight exaggeration added for effect). But the first step is admitting you have a problem, right?
(“AXIS” for 27 points. Your turn, Mom.)
Okay, so we still don’t have a catchy name for it. But if Penn State fans are 
Sally Ride, first American woman in space! Also, of Norwegian decent.
