Ian Bogost - Water Cooler Games - Inhalants are more fun

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Water Cooler Games

Water Cooler Games served as the web's primary forum for "videogames with an agenda" — coverage of the uses of video games in advertising, politics, education, and other everyday activities, outside the sphere of entertainment.

The site was maintained at watercoolergames.org from 2003-2009, where it was edited by myself and Gonzalo Frasca. It is now archived here in full.

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Inhalants are more fun

by Ian Bogost May 31, 2005

categories: Advergames

WD-40 I don't know which is more incredible, the fact that WD-40 has a fanclub or the fact that their fanclub contains a downloadable WD-40 game (I've linked it directly so you don't have to register).

It's a 3D game too! The player is cast as a stationary can of WD-40 in a suburban backyard. You can't move, you can only rotate in place. Objects requiring lubrication occasionally squeak and move around you (a sprinkler, a swing, a door). You have to turn and spray them quickly. It's a bit like Hogan's Alley or Wild Gunman for the NES, except those games were fun to play. Inhalants are more fun than inhalant games.

It would certainly be possible to make an interesting WD-40 game. WD-40 has many, many uses beyond simple lubrication. For example, did you know it's the best way to get crayon stains off clothes? Some weirdo has a list of 2000 uses for WD-40 (including "Gives virtual rocks a clean" and "Helps remove stuck prosthetic leg"), and all we could get was a spin and lubricate game? With a disembodied 3D WD-40 can?

Comments (7)

I love it!

I was going to post some snarky comment about mindless fangames, but then I realized: it's actually a measure of just how deeply games have penetrated our society that a product as pedestrian as WD40 (of which I've long been a fan, though not a fan club member) is paid tribute through a fansite video game. That's actually remarkable.

Mark Wallace on June 1, 2005 2:43 PM

The excellent Water Cooler Games points out that WD-40, the lubricant I used to use under the hood of my '66 Oldsmobile Cutlass, and later on my '73 Oldsmobile Delta 88, not only has a fan club, but has a

Walkerings - The Slippery Slope on June 1, 2005 3:09 PM

This is a good point, and my gripes with the design risk overshadowing the fact that... there's a WD-40 game! How wild is that.

Ian Bogost on June 1, 2005 3:34 PM

What's the deal with the sign? I mean, you can lubricate the swing, the door, the BBQ and one other object that I never seem to locate in time, but then there's a sign that keeps threatening to peel off the window that you can spray as well. Is WD-40 an adhesive agent on some materials or something?

Irfon-Kim Ahmad on June 3, 2005 2:47 PM

Is WD-40 an adhesive agent on some materials or something?

You see? It works! We've all just learned something new about WD-40. The video game as communications medium in action. How cool is that?

Mark Wallace on June 3, 2005 2:58 PM

Considering how innovative WD-40 is in their marketing (asking customers to send in new uses for WD-40, developing a fan club…) I’m not surprised ...

Fuel Games - Squeaky Game from WD-40 on June 6, 2005 4:06 AM

Nice job. I'm planning to come back here in the future. when Chair is Table it will Con Boy: http://hubblesite.org/newscenter/ , Full, Faithful, Green nothing comparative to Faithful to Steal Cosmos you should be very Faithful , Player will Game unconditionally when Girl Hope Circle Loose

Gregory Williams on December 6, 2005 4:08 AM

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