Daytonian turned LA-based filmmaker releases game to bring needed laughter
A Dayton native who went out west to pursue his film-making and book-writing dream has also found success in helping people break the ice.
Allen Wolf, Kettering Fairmont High School graduate, also is the creator of a board game that can help bring people together in person or virtually, something he says people need now more than ever.
Recently, Wolf released a new, video-call-friendly version of his 2003 best-selling board game, “You're Pulling My Leg!” to help peoplemore easily connect during a year full of uncertainties. The new version is packed with new questions that “range fromthought-provoking to zany.”
The game is a story-telling based game meant for players to quickly learn unexpected and hilarious things about each other. Wolf originallymade a prototype of thegame so a couple of friendswho had just started dating could get to know each other more quickly. Perhaps toWolf's credit, the couple is now happily married with children.
“After you choose a question, the secret flip of the coin tells you if your answer should be true or made up ,” explains the game' s website .“When you hear a story, vote points on if you think your friend is telling the truth or pulling your leg. You'll win points if you're right but lose them if you're wrong.”
Wolf haswon 38 awards total for his games, which have been played by hundreds of thousands of people around the world, according to a release.
"Normally when you're having a conversation with people, it takes a while to get around to the interesting questions,” said
Wolf, who now lives in Los Angeles and has written award-winning novels and movies, including “In My Sleep” which premiered last year at The Greene Town Center. “Youdon't meet someoneand ask them about something odd that happened in Kindergarten, but in the context of the game that's perfectly natural.”
The original version, also available in a “Junior” edition, camein a big box and included game pieces.
“When the pandemic happened I thought, I personally had so much fun playing thegametoget toknow people,” Wolf said. “So I thought, ‘Ugh, well how can we continue the fun when we all need fun?'”
Through all the bad, Wolf saidhe sees a silver lining amid the coronavirus pandemic. He hopes it will remind people to pause and stop being “too busy” for life. Board games can be a great place to start.
“I do hope that a positive that can come out of the pandemic is that people are able to just appreciate and have a newfound love for connecting and gathering together again over games,” Wolf said. “I do hope this brings a renaissance to not just games, but just to the idea of people getting off their devices and being able to connect together again."