7 ms·

The Mind-Bending Math Behind Spot It (2018)

63 points by notmysql_ 3y ago

NKosmatos 3y ago
The title is a bit misleading, it's not mind bending maths or other obscure/exotic properties. Simple logic, geometry/topology and combinations :-) Very easy and fun game, good for enhancing observability and reaction time, especially with kids. Here in Europe it's known as Dobble.
- mcphage 3y ago
  It involves geometry with a point at infinity, which is not your standard Euclidean geometry.
  - hgsgm 3y ago
    Parent didn't say "Euclidean" It's finite. The same "point at infinity" also exists on circles (like a clock) and spheres (like the Earth) and toruses (like a bagel).
kleiba 3y ago
Spot It! is a great game, especially to play with young kids. I find that it's one of the few games that are not completely up to luck, yet you don't have that much of an advantage being a grown-up. That makes it a lot of fun for players of all ages.
- soneca 3y ago
  I recently lost a few games of Memory (or Concentration/Matching Pairs [0]) to a child. I wasn’t really trying, but I think she wasn’t either. Someone told me that being a grownup is actually a disadvantage on this game. Children have much better visual/positioning memory than adults. I don’t know if that is true, but it felt very plausible after those games. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_(card_game) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_(card_game)
  - Tao3300 3y ago
    My son was crazy about that game when he was four, and he was devastatingly good at it. Him and his daycare buds would huddle up around The Matching Game like it was an underground '00s poker tournament.
ndsipa_pomu 3y ago
Matt Parker's video is a fun exploration of this too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTDKqW_GLkw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTDKqW_GLkw From a YouTube comment (eeeuw!), the reason for the 55 cards instead of 57 is confirmed: > The reason why this game doesn't include 57 cards is indeed that the printing company that is used by asmodee (the game company that acquired the rights to Dobble) can only print 55 cards on a print sheet. That's what asmodee told to a german math YouTuber (DorFuchs) which they sponsered to promote the game. I've played a related game called "Ghost Blitz" in which you're trying to find either the correctly coloured object, or if that isn't on the card, you grab the object that isn't represented on the card by its object or colour. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz
- mcphage 3y ago
  Given there's 2 different people in this thread recommending Ghost Blitz: okay, okay, message received. I ordered it.
  - ndsipa_pomu 3y ago
    It's a peculiar game as you have to try to get your brain to "look" for the colours/objects that aren't there. You can consciously eliminate the objects one by one, but inevitably someone else will be quicker than you. When you get the knack for how to quickly find the missing item, you suddenly end up winning lots of round in a row.
stavros 3y ago
Unfortunately, the link to a site with code for this doesn't work, but archive.org has our back: https://web.archive.org/web/20160503021303/https://radiganengineering.com/2013/01/spot-it-howd-they-do-that/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160503021303/https://radiganen... The GitHub link works still: https://github.com/WRadigan/pySpot-It/blob/master/pySpot-It.py https://github.com/WRadigan/pySpot-It/blob/master/pySpot-It....
henrik_w 3y ago
Interesting card game - never heard about it before. But it reminds me of the card game Set [1], which has a similar objective of finding cards that "belong together" in some sense. It also has interesting (and similar) mathematical properties, although there is no analytical solutions (as far as I know) once you start playing by removing sets. I was really fascinated by this twelve years ago, an simulate game play to find the probabilities [2]. Great fun! 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(card_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(card_game) 2. https://henrikwarne.com/2011/09/30/set-probabilities-revisited/ https://henrikwarne.com/2011/09/30/set-probabilities-revisit...
- passion__desire 3y ago
  PBS Infinite series video on the topic https://youtu.be/zurpOBPt4LI https://youtu.be/zurpOBPt4LI
  - gcanyon 3y ago
    I miss infinite series :-/
    - passion__desire 3y ago
      PBS should get someone else to restart the channel. It has high quality videos.
      - gcanyon 3y ago
        As far as I know, it was PBS that quit, not the hosts.
- gcanyon 3y ago
  I came here to recommend Set -- it's a fantastic game to play with kids older than about 7. It requires serious thought rather than just spotting things (not that there's anything wrong with Spot It!) And generally kids have an advantage over older players.
lencastre 3y ago
Have you tried Ghost Blitz [1]? [1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz
spapas82 3y ago
This is one of the few games that my kids (6 and 4) can sometimes beat me while playing straight (not letting them win), making it a really interesting experience(since almost no luck is involved). Also there's an easier version with fewer cards (30) and drawings of animals that should be suitable for even younger children.

63 points by notmysql_ 3y ago

The title is a bit misleading, it's not mind bending maths or other obscure/exotic properties. Simple logic, geometry/topology and combinations :-) Very easy and fun game, good for enhancing observability and reaction time, especially with kids. Here in Europe it's known as Dobble.

mcphage 3y ago
It involves geometry with a point at infinity, which is not your standard Euclidean geometry.
- hgsgm 3y ago
  Parent didn't say "Euclidean" It's finite. The same "point at infinity" also exists on circles (like a clock) and spheres (like the Earth) and toruses (like a bagel).

kleiba 3y ago

Spot It! is a great game, especially to play with young kids. I find that it's one of the few games that are not completely up to luck, yet you don't have that much of an advantage being a grown-up. That makes it a lot of fun for players of all ages.

soneca 3y ago
I recently lost a few games of Memory (or Concentration/Matching Pairs [0]) to a child. I wasn’t really trying, but I think she wasn’t either. Someone told me that being a grownup is actually a disadvantage on this game. Children have much better visual/positioning memory than adults. I don’t know if that is true, but it felt very plausible after those games. [0] https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_(card_game) https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concentration_(card_game)
- Tao3300 3y ago
  My son was crazy about that game when he was four, and he was devastatingly good at it. Him and his daycare buds would huddle up around The Matching Game like it was an underground '00s poker tournament.

ndsipa_pomu 3y ago

Matt Parker's video is a fun exploration of this too https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTDKqW_GLkw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VTDKqW_GLkw From a YouTube comment (eeeuw!), the reason for the 55 cards instead of 57 is confirmed: > The reason why this game doesn't include 57 cards is indeed that the printing company that is used by asmodee (the game company that acquired the rights to Dobble) can only print 55 cards on a print sheet. That's what asmodee told to a german math YouTuber (DorFuchs) which they sponsered to promote the game. I've played a related game called "Ghost Blitz" in which you're trying to find either the correctly coloured object, or if that isn't on the card, you grab the object that isn't represented on the card by its object or colour. https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz

mcphage 3y ago
Given there's 2 different people in this thread recommending Ghost Blitz: okay, okay, message received. I ordered it.
- ndsipa_pomu 3y ago
  It's a peculiar game as you have to try to get your brain to "look" for the colours/objects that aren't there. You can consciously eliminate the objects one by one, but inevitably someone else will be quicker than you. When you get the knack for how to quickly find the missing item, you suddenly end up winning lots of round in a row.

stavros 3y ago

Unfortunately, the link to a site with code for this doesn't work, but archive.org has our back: https://web.archive.org/web/20160503021303/https://radiganengineering.com/2013/01/spot-it-howd-they-do-that/ https://web.archive.org/web/20160503021303/https://radiganen... The GitHub link works still: https://github.com/WRadigan/pySpot-It/blob/master/pySpot-It.py https://github.com/WRadigan/pySpot-It/blob/master/pySpot-It....

henrik_w 3y ago

Interesting card game - never heard about it before. But it reminds me of the card game Set [1], which has a similar objective of finding cards that "belong together" in some sense. It also has interesting (and similar) mathematical properties, although there is no analytical solutions (as far as I know) once you start playing by removing sets. I was really fascinated by this twelve years ago, an simulate game play to find the probabilities [2]. Great fun! 1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(card_game) https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Set_(card_game) 2. https://henrikwarne.com/2011/09/30/set-probabilities-revisited/ https://henrikwarne.com/2011/09/30/set-probabilities-revisit...

passion__desire 3y ago
PBS Infinite series video on the topic https://youtu.be/zurpOBPt4LI https://youtu.be/zurpOBPt4LI
- gcanyon 3y ago
  I miss infinite series :-/
  - passion__desire 3y ago
    PBS should get someone else to restart the channel. It has high quality videos.
    - gcanyon 3y ago
      As far as I know, it was PBS that quit, not the hosts.
gcanyon 3y ago
I came here to recommend Set -- it's a fantastic game to play with kids older than about 7. It requires serious thought rather than just spotting things (not that there's anything wrong with Spot It!) And generally kids have an advantage over older players.

lencastre 3y ago

Have you tried Ghost Blitz [1]? [1] https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz https://boardgamegeek.com/boardgame/83195/ghost-blitz

spapas82 3y ago

This is one of the few games that my kids (6 and 4) can sometimes beat me while playing straight (not letting them win), making it a really interesting experience(since almost no luck is involved). Also there's an easier version with fewer cards (30) and drawings of animals that should be suitable for even younger children.