The 110 rules of Uno

What do you get when you put seven adults around the table with the game UNO? Why of course! Seven (deeply rooted) childhood traditions of rules and regulations that all collide at the same time.

Although it created for a few moments of confused tension, it was extremely fascinating to me how there are truly SO many ways to play UNO. The most intriguing part of it all was how dibilitating it was when none of us were on the same page. We all had a different way of going about each step, and held on to it like it was the very fabric of the UNO game.

1. When you don't have a card, do you pick up just one or keep picking?
2. When you don't say UNO when you have one left, do you pick up two cards or the whole discarded deck?
3. When someone lays a card against you (draw-2 or draw-4) can you stack it with the same card?
4. After an action card is played against you, do you still get to play a card?
5. If you have two of the exact same card, can you play them at the same time?
6. Can you lay a card out of turn if it is identical to one that was played?

These were just a few of the questions that humorously roadblocked our efforts in playing a simple game. With so many perspectives colliding at the same time, it was nearly impossible to continue playing without a pause in the game to clarify how something is played. The irony of it all is that when someone actually looked at the directions, NONE of us followed them! Every single "rule" that was mentioned during the game was created down the line one way or another. So very intriguing. I almost think that the simpler the game, the more people put a twist on it with other add-ons and rules. But hey, why not make a game more interesting?