Three things you should know about me: I’m introverted, anxious and competitive.
Electric Shuffle, then, fits my social preferences perfectly, presenting a combination of low-stakes competition with enough social distraction to avoid burning out. I’m in my peak zone here. All boxes ticked. Marvellous.
Oh, it’s also a ton of fun.
If you’re unfamiliar with how shuffleboard works, you basically slide (or shuffle) a weighty, palm-sized puck down a wooden playfield with a goal to score points. The format is one-on-one and how you score points depends on the game variant you’re playing.
The electric bit makes it
Electric Shuffle works on accurately measuring distances; whether it’s a puck crossing a foul/score line or the distance between pucks/targets. If you were to do this manually, it would be disruptive at best, or completely stall the game at worst.
Not so with Electric Shuffle’s computermabob system!
The computer acts as the ultimate referee; completely unswayable, all measurement is automated and their word is law. Not only does this give you more fluidity and time to actually enjoy playing, but I imagine it completely eradicates the temptation for highly toxic players to argue over half a millimetre after every shot. No such players in my group – I only maintain the highest calibre of friends and family, obviously.
Electric Shuffle’s game modes
The computer also makes game modes available that would be unrealistic to score manually:
- Amplifier: The highest score wins. You slide and land your pucks as high up the scoring table as possible without getting knocked off by opponents.
- Eclipse: Precision is key. You land your pucks on specific targets and try to hold your position until the round ends – the closest to the target wins.
- Territory: A game of area control where you spread your pucks to claim the highest percentage of the playing board and dominate the table.
- Short Circuit: A fast-paced, dynamic game requiring both precision and strategic puck placement.
You can switch between game modes at any point, keeping things fresh. It also keeps things hilarious when somebody forgets the game’s changed and puts in a world-class 5-pointer, only to find they were meant to be aiming for the target.
When it goes wrong
Very occasionally, however – just enough to be annoying – the computermabob goes into full meltdown. You’ll shoot your blue puck correctly on your turn and the AI-in-the-sky will gaslight you into thinking you’ve shot the wrong colour, demanding you replace your puck with your opponent’s. At first we blamed ourselves, but as in any suppressed society, eventually the masses rose up and overthrew the authoritarian regime. By this, I mean we ignored the electric fun-sponge and carried on regardless. Annoying, but not game-breaking.
Free social content
The cameras and puck tracking technology also allow for nifty little action replays made, available online afterwards.
Food and drinks packages are available when booking, which also helps keep the flow – they keep everyone focused on the game and not disappearing off to the bar.
Honestly, this was great. Highly recommend.
If we get this technology implemented into electric pétanque, human civilisation has truly peaked!