Pug You! Review - with Tom Vasel

[@flobbablopp630]

16 people has voted a 10 for this game on BGG, almost all from Spain. One of them is called Crazy Pawn and the game is published by Crazy Pawn Games, hm... :)

[@ricksleurink5064]

Yes, saw that too... BGG should delete those designers/playtesters. Hate this kind of behaviour. Ugh...

[@Calistake047]

Thank you for still taking the time to review this - I mean, it was on my wishlist because of the artwork, and now I'm like, phweeeew, thank god I watched this.

[@marcusager974]

Who thought "personal attacks, the game" was a good idea?

[@marks6928]

Things about this game to note: - artificially inflated BGG score, voted by people associated with the developer - the creator arguing with people on a KZbin review, with lots of “if you don’t like it don’t play it” comments - awful and mean spirited cards joking about topics which could be genuinely harmful to people. Hard pass. I’m glad that Tom took the time to highlight this trash. It’s a bar lowerer, attempting to ride the coattails of other “mature” party games.

[@nahailyenvanakkor]

That silent zoom at the end says it all...

[@PlayDifferent]

This game has actually improved my opinion of Cards Against Humanity simply because that game is not THIS game.

[@cassandracastro2759]

Actually, it's good you do reveiw all kinds of games, including this crap. I believe all players have a game or two they want to design, and looking only at the good games can give you a bad vision of the industry as a whole and that will show in any design you make. Looking at these kind of games help to learn from others mistakes and improve your own. Also, it gives you context, and helps you to not forget: that mediocre game with a 5 out of 10 is not crap (nor a good good game for that matter), there are autentic garbage out there. Also can give you hope if this thing got published, your better game can be published too.

[@natelinhart114]

Okay, now this may be the best Dice Tower Judgement yet...

[@MichaelB-jw5po]

I understand the fun of insulting your friends in a joking manner, but this game completely misses the whole "joking" part of that it seems. It's literally just insulting each other for no reason with no lightheartedness to it. And making calling the suicide hotline and having suicidal thoughts out to be a shameful thing? Screw you, game.

[@DampeS8N]

I'm a big fan of crass vulgar party activities like Cards Against Humanity. I have to agree with you about this one, though. This is just mean. Like friendship Russian roulette. It is only a matter of time before you step on an emotional land mine or insult someone's religion. Hard pass.

[@ThymeKeeper]

Wow. I can't even...wow.

[@johnthomas4567]

So the person voted most likely to call the suicide hotline may actually need to do so after being humiliated and devastated by their "friends". This is a terrible idea for a "game", and it wouldn't surprise me if this was the cause of something terrible. Tragic.

[@ThymeKeeper]

That may be the worst thing I've ever seen in a game. .

[@cassandracastro2759]

I agree, there are matters that should not be treated lightly, and using them "for laughs" (allegedly) is a big lack of moral standards and an irresponsible thing to do. I'm glad for this review, now I know a publisher and a designer to put on my black list.

[@jensdefries9460]

@@cassandracastro2759 @chuckm1961 Of course. Even the most serious issues CAN be funny if you understand the context you are in. You can laugh about nacionalsocialism, sexism, racism, death, sickness and religion in games, movies, series, stand-up comedy or with friends. It depends on the context. And of course you have, as we have all. That does NOT mean they are not serious issues. It does NOT mean we should frivolize about them in a SERIOUS context. It does NOT mean we should not adress the problems they suppose and fight them. It does NOT mean you are socially irresponsible to laugh at them. This is a GAME. It makes people laugh, as do Cards Against Humanity, True Colours or Black Box. If anything, it even brings those issues up so friends can talk about them later. If everyone thinks I am the biggest biggot in the room, why is that? Maybe it was a comment I made the other day, maybe I was given the card just to see how I'd react. Usually, it is just funny and to mess with others. If Pug You! does not make you laugh, don't play it, but don't pretend you have never laughed at anything socially unacceptable or start calling the players, authors or players names based on your moral standards. THAT is a the real lack of respect right there. Being an adult means also to understand that comedy is also a tool to lighten the most serious issues, and I expect people to be mentally mature enough to choose what they can or can't personally withstand. You can choose wether to go see that movie about drug abuse, wether to watch a documentary on animal torture or wether to play or to not play my game. It does not mean those things shouldn't exist and it does not mean they are socially unaware. Also, it is explicity said so in the rules: if you can't take it or don't find it funny, just pass! You can always go play something else. There are plenty of other funny party games out there. But don't make uncorrect moral judgements about other's people perception of comedy.

[@cassandracastro2759]

@@jensdefries9460 I´ll say this up front: it IS irresponsible to laugh at serious matters, talking about something serious in a serious tone is not frivolizing the topic, is giving it it´s just dimension. Now, your comment strikes me as that proper of someone who never had to deal with serious matters before. I´ll be a little rude and say you are not half as mature as you think you are, laughing at something serious is irresponsible because laugh at things is the hard coded way our brain has to dismiss things and render them unimportant, a way to cope with things you don´t want to actually adress. If it seems I´m angry, it´s because of the concrete example. As an LGBT+ person, I´ve been too close to the matter of depresion and suicide. If you play this game thinking is something like Cards Against Humanity, then getting to this card may rub you in the wrong way, if you suffer from depression. In this case, people laughing at you can make things worse. Depression and suicide are serious issues, and people suffering from those issues need support. A game that serves the opposite purpose is not a good game. It´s too easy to dismiss the matter as "it´s just a game", but that only can make things worse. It´s too easy to dismiss the matter as "just don´t play the game" but hat doesn´t account for several situations, like people confusing (like you did) this with another Cards Against Humanity, when this game is clearly NOT that. There´s a clear difference in saying "The class field trip was completely ruined by__an M16 assault rifle" and saying "You´re the most likely to commit suicide hahaha". And that´s a difference I deem important. I was thinking of dismissing you as a random internet troll, but your answer tells me that, sadly, you do believe what you wrote. And not, I´m not making uncorrect moral judgements about other people´s perception of comedy (I think you don´t understand what a moral judgement is), I think you can laugh at whatever you want, but this "game" was made irresponsibly nontheless. The comment wasn´t an attack to your own concept of comedy, nobody cares what "you" deem funny or not, it was an attak to a truly crap of "game".

[@jensdefries9460]

@@cassandracastro2759 In order to keep this debate objective and respectful, I will write my comment ignoring all the personal judgments, presumptions and insults you made about me, my game and my life experience. Actually, dark humor is a type of behavioural cognitive strategy that serves to expose individuals to serious issues they fear the most to talk about. Being able to address them in a funny context among friends serves to decrease cortisol and epinephrine and relaxes the individual under stressful topics, so it can actually be helpful in order to make the person talk about them, so it might have the exact opposite effect of what you are saying. It even got you to open up about your harsh life experience by just talking about the game indirectly, which is something healthy to do. Congrats on being a survivor, and please know that is nothing I would not take seriously in a serious environment. Which this game just isn't. You are wasting your bullets here. Of course, the game is not for everyone, and maybe spanish culture is more relaxed and open to dark humor and critizising each other. Again: if your personal experience doesn't let you enjoy this game, you can choose not to play it. Nobody is forcing anyone to play it, it is a tool that adults can choose to buy, to play or to use for other reasons consciously`and willingly. You can compare it to BDSM: of course hurting another person is bad, but it can give you pleasure if you do it in consensus with other people who also enjoy it. You have just seen a video of a guy showing you that you lash, slap and hurt people in BDSM and with just that image, you think that it is bad without seeing the whole picture. Your knowledge about this game is close to zero: you have seen the only English review video of the game on the internet. It is short, subjective and portrays the game in a certain way and doesn't even explain all the rules. In my experience with it, people are often frightened to play after just reading the cards but then, once they get into it, most of the players see that the context (yes, again) is so powerful that all the "harsh" things said in the cards can be taken much more lightheartedly than it seems. Most people actually choose to eliminate the ligher green cards from the game because the rush the red and yellow cards give you is better. You have not had that experience playing the game. You are also choosing to just ignore the fact that a lot of people enjoy the game, that it comes with a warning in the setup ("remove cards that address topics you can think can affect any player in a bad way"), that the lore encourages you and your friends to stay bonded through the tough questions (although they are almost always just funny), that its harshness can be controlled with the colour code, etc. And you choose hard words tp qualify something you barely know. Sticking to the previous example: BDSM is enjoyed by tons of people over the world (I wish that many people would play Pug You, but of course the number is infinitely smaller :D), and it's not your call to call them irresponsible or to call their practices "crap" because they are hurting each other. It is not your call to say what is therapeutical to others just because you don't see it or haven't experienced it or doesn't fit your life experience. It is not your call to judge how other adults choose to spend their own adult leasure time in consensus (both you and I should know about this being LGBT+). It is not your call to insult other peoples' emotional intelligence, form of expression or to presume a lack of life experience. You might be surprised. What I am saying about Cards Against Humanity is that it addresses much more serious issues than Pug You. It is a game where you get to laugh at the some of the darkest topics there are, and that is FINE. Don't take yourself or a card game so seriously, life is so much more than that, and it is SO important to know to laugh about yourself and others lovingly! Maybe you can just buy the game and find out about its perks while playing, maybe you'll even get to love it in the end! :) Peace out.

[@NightRunner9]

My jaw was literally agape in the stupidity of this cash grabish stupid game. How could anyone even consider investing or publishing it at all. Wow.

[@marcusager974]

Honestly they probably just saw the artwork and didn't even look into the actual game...

[@jorgevillafane6554]

What a piece of.... I cant believe things like this are already published

[@aprilw2287]

Best dice tower judgment for this game.

[@bloodrunsclear]

So it's not only tasteless, it's a crummy game

[@Andrew-if9do]

CAH is so extreme it’s clear that people are combining things to be over the top and stupid. This garbage has a major flaw that CAH doesn’t, it makes you target one another, which is “hilarious” until you slap the suicide card on someone with hidden mental health issues. I get that offence is subjective and a JOKE can be made of anything, but....being most likely to call a Suicide Help Line, that’s not a joke, it not a joke, there’s no punchline, there’s no wit, there’s no clever twist, theres no over the top ridiculousness, there’s no word play, there’s no other level of meaning or context. It just is not a joke. I eat eggs. Is that a joke? No. It’s just a thing. And that’s the problem with this game it thinks it’s being edgy and funny by including these “joke cards” but it isn’t any of those things it’s just a thing. Just a really unimaginative, lowest hanging fruit, let’s say something controversial and we will be like CAH, thing.

[@Alittlefruitgoesalongway]

I can't agree more. Hopefully games like this start going away

[@blind_surgeon]

CAH sucks tho. But I get your point.

[@TeChNoWC7]

If I was playing a game and that card got played, I’d be putting a stop to the game straight away. Either we play something else or I’m walking. Way too far.

[@bloodrunsclear]

I love the idea of an anti-pug game blaming them for crime

[@jaykarhunen6568]

or blaming them for all of societies ill's lol

[@c.w.2000]

No doubt the talent of the artist(s) is the only good thing about this "game". Gong Studios is located in Indonesia, so I would guess the artist(s) didn't really know what kind of game their art was being used in. The publisher is located in Spain. You kind of have to wonder how things came together to even get something like this produced?

[@jensdefries9460]

Although some of the things in the video are misleading, that information is just plain wrong, which in my opinion is actually a bit disappointing. The artist is David GJ (he is not the author as it is shown on the video), and out of excitement about the project he did 1 different picture for every card when he didn't have to. 😊 I don't know where the Gong Studio thing came from!

[@TomOlson]

Thanks for the warning about this game. Also 2:55 Who as "Hoo" 🤦

[@marks6928]

I spotted that too, and to be fair, it’s about someone being illiterate, so that spelling mistake is intentional. Not meaning to defending this mess, but just pointing that out :)

[@arekkrolak6320]

this game idea is disgusting, cant think of a group where this would fly, I can kinda imagine playing this solo, but the pugs are cuuuuute! :)

[@edwardbrost331]

Very distasteful game. Horrible.

[@benlauson555]

Best judgement ever!

[@StefanLopuszanski]

The artwork is good... that's about the only redeeming thing this game has.

[@ScrewtopReviews]

I know what he's going to say before the end of the first minute.

[@MulamboGFX]

I want it, for history, to remember the day we touched the bottom (lol, "bottom")

[@jaykarhunen6568]

i think everyone would rather play their most low rated game over this

[@andresmicalizzi5420]

Was going to downvote this because i didn't understand why you where signal boosting this crap... Buy now i see it's real good you've done it... So people can keep away from this kind of stuff... I dunno how this gets published...

[@Alittlefruitgoesalongway]

The random people who buy games like this off the shelf of Target won't watch these videos anyway. It's better to get the word out about what this game is actually like. Apparently the only content warnings the game gives are in the rulebook too, which you'd only see after already buying the game...

[@PompeyLegend2009]

Everyone involved in bringing this product to the market ought to be thoroughly ashamed of themselves.

[@1981dardar]

Why are you doing this to yourself, Tom?

[@Spazzfist]

I love pugs, so watched the video out of curiosity, but this game looks HORRIBLE! Definitely crossing a line from funny to just downright hurtful.

[@oneanotherstudios]

Wow, this would be a great team-building game for the office! lol....maybe not

[@juliesquirrel5269]

Yeah...no. I play with people who think Cockroach Poker is too mean.

[@jensdefries9460]

Hahaha ❤

[@BlimpMcGee]

I never played Cards against humanity but is it as crude as this pile of crap?

[@kommodore979]

Well he said he couldn't show us some cards in this game, but from what we saw I can say Cards Agaisnt Humanity is more crude but less mean, it is not targeted against a player like this game. So you might be saying something offensive or dirty but it is against Michael Jackson or generic people not all your friends.

[@johna6108]

2/10 based on that end picture

[@jaykarhunen6568]

I think there's a difference between dark humour/inappropriate humour (which may or may not be your cup of tea) that you can all laugh about. Like Cards against humanity, telestrations after dark or exploding kittens. Then there's directing that laughter towards each other. Instead of in a tongue and cheek way it's just hateful. Hahaah everyone at the table thinks you're the ugliest, hahaaa. Yeah, not really funny, because no matter how thick your skin is, later on something will get stuck in your head, really? Do they actually think that. Most things would fall off my back, but you'd probably think at the very least, wow my friends really don't think much of me, maybe I need new friends lol. Being mean and spiteful for no good reason, there's nothing you're a working towards. It just exists so you can tell someone what you think of them in the guise of a game. Humour games are tricky, because not everyone has the same humour. Some are humourless. Some laugh at slapstick childish humour, others don't. Others laugh at vulgar stuff, while others laugh at dark humour. This however isn't funny, no matter how you look at it. Self-deprecating humour or jabs levelled at each other can be funny sure, but only if it's more nuanced and handled really well. Just look at how Don Rickles did it. Who wasn't laughing when he hurled a joke at you. Or even really good roasters. The good comedians aren't going to just say, hey go kill yourself after the show, you're worthless hahaa. That doesn't really work, nor is it funny, and that's basically what I saw in this game for the most part. Every friend group that's super tight already knows how they feel about each other anyway, you don't need to point superficial things out. If someone's lazy in the group everyone knows who that is, even the person who it is. No sense to be mindlessly cruel. Also, what does it matter, you actually care about each other, pointing petty stuff like that out just makes it seem everyone's super petty all the time when they're not. This should be called; everyone secretly hates you: the game. Oh well, I think most designers should stay away from humour being the main mechanic in their game. It's a subtle and tricky thing to do well and easy to just be cruel or really lame like a joke book from the 80s-90s.

[@eVanDiesel]

Yikes! How terrible!

[@jensdefries9460]

Hi! 😊 I am the author of the game, and I would love to set the record straight after watching the video. First of all: thank you very much for the review and your time, Mr. Vasel! I honestly appreciate it, and as I told you in person, I am not surprised that you hated the game: I gave it to you knowingly. Secondly: of course, Pug You! is a very provocative game, since it was created to be exactly that. It is not a game for everyone. But after watching your video, there are several things that I think have to be pointed out: 1) The author of the game is me (Jens de Fries), and not David GJ as it shows in the introduction text of your video. David is a friend of mine and the illustrator of the game. So if you have to hate someone, that's me! 😊 2) Pug You! is a game set out to provoque, entertain and be funny. I have played it hundreds of times with lots of different people (even family), I have seen it play and heard opinions from other people and the reaction to the game has been mostly positive. Of course, it can be tense sometimes, but played with the right people, the game is hilarious! 😊 I have seen much more people get angry over games like The Resistance than over this one. Here, people can make up funny explanations on why they nominate others. It is all not that serious. Since people always have had a blast playing it,I decided that I would love it to be my first game. 2) The game has various setting up rules that control the hardness of the game and that you didn't mention. There are "lighter" green cards (like: "Who would have the worst superpower?"), medium yellow cards and hardcore red cards. It is encouraged to take the red cards out when playing for the first time or if you are playing with sensitive people. It is also encouraged in the rules to take out any single card(s) that could be seriously offensive to any of the players, although it is very important to know to laugh at yourself. If the suicide crisis line card is too much, you can take it out or burn it! I don't think it is more offensive or than being the blatant xenophobe, homophobe, mysogynist or in any other way disrespectful and insulting person people are when playing Cards Aginst Humanity. And of course I don't think it will make people want to take their lives more than half of the heartbreaking movies out there. It is a game, and the limits of humor are personal. Do not play it if it is not for you. 2) Since Pug You! is a party game which is just there to have a good (or bad!) time, the rules are not that important, but there are not pointless by any means when explained completely. Playing the game, there are actually a lot of strategies you can use to try to win. Trying to convince the active player to take your card in the offering phase is important, since you can offer cards that don't describe you so you are not targeted or offer positive cards to get positive points; the voting is important, since the active player can try to provoque a tie, which is favorable; a.s.o. 3) I think board games are as vast as other artforms, and of course different games appeal to different people. Not everyone is into punk rock, and board games are not all pop. Although the review is understandably harsh, I am very proud of my game because it shakes people in a good or bad way. I have seen people laugh their butts off while playing it and becoming CLOSER friends after the game rather than feeling deeply insulted. I have seen people being afraid to play it and I have seen Tom Vasel HATE it. 😊❤ It just depends on the experience, I guess! Finally: thank you again if you have read this far, and please don't be very hateful towards the publisher or anyone involved if you don't like the idea, since that would be playing Pug You! in real life, not the form of a game. 😊 Also, I am deeply sorry if we offended anyone with the idea of the game, the intention was to contain the offensiveness inside the box! I am also sorry if I didn't get to defend the game properly in this comment of I have sounded rude in any way, English is not my first language. Please don't play Pug You! or some cards in it if they are to mean. Enough said, love out to everyone and to board games! 😊❤❤❤ (Clarification: I like and respect all kinds of music and LOVE The Resistance and CAH)

[@pjpaella]

I'm with Tom on this, it's not for me and I think many of the cards shown are in bad taste. Life if difficult enough for many folks and pointing out their problems via isolationism is pretty cruel.

[@jensdefries9460]

@@pjpaella Well, it absolutely depends on the context and the mindopeness of the people you play it with! As I said before, the experience of people having a blast with this game without getting personally offended is real. Games are contextual, if you read out some cards of Cards Against Humanity with no context or experience on how the game works, I think we would all be even more shocked. We should respect the variety in board games and dark humor. What we need the most is being able to laugh at ourselves and grow stronger bonds. :)

[@evansj18]

These are the typical responses when some gets called out for telling a horrible mean joke or being randomly cruel - "Hey, I was just joking! Can't you take a joke?". I don't care how many heart emojis you put in your life story you just wrote - it's a garbage game having the sole purpose of making everyone feel bad about themselves. Anyone that thinks this is 'hilarious' I don't ever want to interact with in any way (other than telling them what a garbage person they are of course). This is the difference: CAH is generally vulgar - your pile of garbage is specifically targeted to get people to hurt the other people sitting two feet away from them. I guess the world would have been a better place if you had never been born - see, wasn't that hilarious?

[@jensdefries9460]

@@evansj18 No Sir, you are wrong. When you play a game (or when you are in a club doing stand up comedy), you create a context. So for example when you give out the cards in this game, you are encouraged to explain why you nominate that person, and it can be for whatever funny reason. If I am giving you a card that says you dress bad, it can be based on that I don't like the Mickey Mouse picture on your shirt. It can also be because I don't like how you dress, but those moments are funny in the context and most people are able to take it. In my experience, this game has created more bonds (lots) than it has destroyed (none). If you do not like the idea of the game, don't play it. That does not mean you have to be disrespectful to the author in a serious context.

[@jensdefries9460]

@HDAY04 Thank you for seeing it like that. 😊

[@Ian-R-Wilz]

I saw this on your look back series today (Feb 21) and had to watch your actual review. This game is disgusting and a horrible message.

[@jaykarhunen6568]

I saw it on one of the top games we hate videos and thought the same thing.

[@LluisMosquera]

It totally looks like you didn't play the game at all. I played it a million times and it's SOOOOO fun. It's a party game and of course you never really mean what u say to your friends.

[@chuckm1961]

Right, because when we make jokes insulting our friends, there is never a tinge of reality in what we say, right? And no one ever takes any of this seriously or is emotionally affected by it in anyway, right? Wrong.

[@jensdefries9460]

@@chuckm1961 Dude, if you are a sensitive person, just do not play the game. Also, don't bungee jump from a bridge if you have a weak heart condition or don't play rugby if you are afraid to get bruised. That YOU would be personally offended by a game does not mean you should take the fun away from people who enjoy it. Being able to choose what you enjoy in your leisure time is a part of what being an adult means.

[@chuckm1961]

Jens de Fries You apparently did not carefully read or absorb my comment. It appears you’re not bright enough to get what I am saying, so will just leave it at that.

[@jensdefries9460]

@@chuckm1961 Ok Linda. 😂

[@ricksleurink5064]

@@jensdefries9460 No need to be rude. BGG should delete your profile with such behaviour. How can you be so full of yourself?

[@lugo8824]

First card. I AUDIBLY groaned. I have to watch my language because this is a family channel, but who in the French seal 🦭 would think that is a good idea for a PARTY GAME? Edit: my humor is DARK, and I am incredibly vulgar. Even I can't find joy in this turd.