“The ‘Chuck, Fuck, and Mary game.’ Okay. Basically, you have to name three people, and they can be anybody, like friends, some of my friends choose teachers and whatever, to give to someone else as choices.  And the other person has to choose among those three. So, one of them has to be ‘Chuck,’ and ‘Chuck’ is like someone you would eliminate. Like you wouldn’t fuck or marry them. It’s usually the person you can’t stand. And ‘Fuck’ is somebody you would sleep with, no strings attached. And ‘Marry’ is well, obviously, you would marry the person. It’s all kind of relative, because you wouldn’t necessarily do any of that really in real life, but it’s the most preferable order.”

Katherine said that her friend, Lauren, taught her this game not too long ago, while they were catching up on college experiences. Katherine went to high school with Lauren in Los Angeles, and considers her a relatively close friend. They were having a conversation about college in general and their experiences in co-ed living. Eventually, they started talking about how people rank each other based on attractiveness and how everyone in co-ed living makes it a point to notice who is attractive. As a result of this perceived pattern, Lauren brought up this game as a related topic.

Later on, Katherine would teach this game to my roommate and I, which became a cause of a lot of laughter. She taught it to us because she thought it was a random and amusing game that could pass the time. Katherine said that it was probably most appropriate in a social setting with friends who are familiar with each other and each person’s social networks, because then the game would take on a lot more significance. However, the game can also be played with strangers or among people who are not as close. The choices would then have to be celebrities, so that everyone could participate. An example of when to play this game would probably be during a party or a small get together. Katherine said that it is best played with only people in the same social circles, because the answers are “obviously funny and nobody would get offended because it’s just a joke.”

Katherine says this game is just a fun way to pass the time and was probably created by a couple of high school or college friends hanging around. She does not typically get offended and takes all answers with a grain of salt. Katherine finds it especially funny to predict what other people will say and considers it a silly method to get to know someone better. However, she also gives a caveat against playing this game with a new significant other, because the game might cause some unnecessary tensions and/or drama.

I agree with Katherine in that the game was probably created by young adults entering a period in their life when exterior looks play a very important role in their social lives. It toys with a question that crosses everyone’s mind at one point or another, but because it is in a game format, the topic becomes easier to bring up. On the surface, the game is a lighthearted way of getting to know someone. Each individual’s choices in a given scenario reveal a lot about that person and their values. At the same time, I think that the game also plays on the insecurities about physical appearance and behaviors common during that age. Because acceptance is so important during this age, the game serves a sort of outlet to mock the system of superficialities.