I do this with other people who aren't kids, though I try to keep it to family and close friends so that I don't thrash my reputation too much. Typically I'll

I do this with other people who aren't kids, though I try to keep it to family and close friends so that I don't thrash my reputation too much. Typically I'll pick a theme (say, "citrus fruit, and related topics") for a particular family get-together and see how many semi-plausible but invented facts revolving around that theme I can inject into conversations. Sometimes I'm rewarded by hearing facts that I made up regurgitated years later (one that I am proud of is that orange juice turns an opaque white when pasteurized, and needs to be dyed back to orange (like margarine) for sale.) Fundamentally I think this is an exercise in creativity; sort of like telling a good campfire story of your own creation. So far as people play this game with kids, I suspect it is because kids are easier to fool so the game is more rewarding.