Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock

by Casey Lynn
Contributing Writer, [GAS]

It’s not as if it’s a new idea, but the expansion of Rock-Paper-Scissors that includes a poisonous reptile and a logical Vulcan may become more popular thanks to the newest episode of The Big Bang Theory. And it really does make a lot of sense, considering the limited number of outcomes in the original version. If you are unfamiliar with the expansion’s rules, let me break it down for you:

Scissors cut paper.
Paper covers rock.
Rock crushes lizard.
Lizard poisons Spock.
Spock smashes scissors.
Scissors decapitate lizard.
Lizard eats paper.
Paper disproves Spock.
Spock vaporizes rock.
Rock crushes scissors.

As a bonus, it kind of rhymes.  Ready to try it out? Play it online first!

Of course, what I don’t understand about their problem in the last scene is why someone didn’t choose lizard. After all, if everyone else is putting up Spock, then the best choices are Lizard (which poisons Spock) or Paper (which disproves Spock), and Lizard also beats Paper (by eating it). Is loyalty to your favorite Vulcan really more important than winning?