Game gains popularity

One card game has made holiday shopping a little easier for many people throughout the nation.

Ruckus, a fast-paced and inexpensive game, has captivated members of every age group with its fun simplicity.  

The game deviates from normal card games in several ways.

First, Ruckus uses distinct suits for the cards. Daniel Levy, the inventor of Ruckus and president of Funstreet, Inc., said this is one of his favorite aspects of the game.

“I love the quirkiness of the suits, which include the likes of ‘Fish Man,’ ‘Monkey in a Bottle’ and my personal favorite, ‘Pig in the Attic,’” Levy said. “There are twelve in all.”

The game also introduces a “no turn-taking” concept. Each player receives seven cards from the dealer, and the game begins immediately after the cards have been dealt.

Players try to make matches from the cards they received, and they lay the matching cards in piles face-up on the table.

These cards can be stolen by other players who hold one card of the same suit. 

The round ends when a player has used all of his or her cards. At this time, the player declares, “Ruckus,” and everyone counts points.

Every card in a matching pile earns points for a player, while every card still in his or her hand deducts points.

The person with the most points wins the round.

“My favorite games have always been fast-moving and easy to learn, so I was looking to create a chaotic feel within a simple structure,” Levy said.

Ruckus has received national recognition with awards, some of which are “Dr. Toy 10 Best Games,” “iParenting Media Award,” “Preferred Choice Award,” “Parents’ Choice Fun Stuff Award” and “ASTRA Best-for-Kids Toy.”

On a local level, the popularity of Ruckus can be seen as well. The Game Preserve, a downtown Bloomington game store, has sold many of the games in the last few days alone.

“Friday we sold 38 copies,” said Matt Headley, an employee at Game Preserve. “Then we received 240 more, of which I believe 186 of them were pre-orders.”

Wendy Ketchem, the manager of Game Preserve, said she was somewhat surprised by the game’s popularity.

“Card games usually become fairly popular because they are cheaper and easier to carry than board games,” Ketchem said. “But it is kind of surprising that a card game with this easy of a rule structure would become this popular.”