Rising to the challenge: 21st-century games of wit and endurance By PETRA ZLATEVSKA This article was taken from the February 2013 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online. Already finished Angry Birds: Star Wars and looking for a new challenge? Healthy competition comes in all shapes and sizes -- and isn't only to be found on a screen. Take on a few contenders in this selection of 21st-century games of wit and endurance, curated by Wired. Brompton World Championship Oxfordshire This folding-bike race demands formal garb as competitors from 30-odd nations rip around Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire. brompton.co.uk World's Fastest Drummer Championships California Can you tap up to 1,000 times a minute on a "Drumometer"? Then the title of World's Faster Drummer could be yours. Drum roll, please... extremesportdrumming.com Chess Boxing Championships Berlin, London, LA, Krasnoyarsk Alternating rounds of chess and boxing for up to 11 rounds. If Kasparov would take on a Klitschkos, we'd definitely get a ringside seat.
wcbo.org Evo (Evolution) Championship Series Las Vegas The world's largest fighting game tear-up attracts hardcore gamers spoiling for the ultimate virtual scrap, before a baying crowd. evo.shoryuken.com National Siesta Championships Madrid Held in a shopping centre, scientists ascertain which competitor gets to sleep quickest and for longest. You snooze, you win. campeonato-de-siesta.com World Body Painting Championships Pörtschach Get imaginative in Austria, where the flesh is the canvas for body-painting avatars from 40 nations. Not for the prudish, though. bodypainting-festival.com National Speed SMS Championships Bangalore Join thumb-warriors from across India in a regular quest to out-text each other in a keypad-melting 140-character challenge. go-nxg.com World Solar Challenge Australia College teams build eco vehicles and compete to get the furthest across the dry plains of Oz on 5kWh of solar or kinetic power. worldsolarchallenge.org
Comments