Current:Home > MarketsAre you playing 'Whamageddon'? It's the Christmas game you've probably already lost-LoTradeCoin
Are you playing 'Whamageddon'? It's the Christmas game you've probably already lost
View Date:2024-12-23 21:29:07
Last weekend, a DJ caused a stir in Britain after playing the hit Wham! song "Last Christmas" at a soccer game in front of about 60,000 people.
A week earlier, another DJ had done the same at a match with 7,000 people, prompting him to apologize in an interview with the BBC.
Why? These tune-slingers had just "whammed" their audience, potentially knocking tens of thousands of people out of a long-running Christmas game.
Confused? Let's back up.
There is a game called Whamaggedon that's popular this time of year — especially in Britain — which consists of not listening to the holiday classic by the '80s pop duo.
From Dec 1-24, if you listen and recognize the original version of the song, it's game over. Listening to remixes and covers is fine.
"The very moment you have that 'Oh no' feeling in your brain, that's the moment you're out," said Thomas Mertz, who lives in Copenhagen, Denmark, and created the game almost two decades ago with some friends.
It's all for fun, there are no prizes, and if you do get "whammed," as Mertz called it, you just drop out.
Mertz made it clear that the song isn't the problem. In fact, he plays it repeatedly the week before the game starts, and again as a sort of celebration after he gets whammed. But he said in the early 2000s in Denmark, you pretty much couldn't go anywhere without hearing those dulcet tones.
"We were thinking, like, it's frustrating and it's getting to the point of being annoying. But rather than becoming upset about it, we turned it into a game," he said.
The challenge eventually became a hashtag and a Facebook page. It also blew up when Wham! lead singer George Michael died in 2016.
"That created a social storm of attention that the next year kind of launched it into a much, much bigger thing than we ever imagined it could become," Mertz said.
As for tactics, Mertz said he has seen two methods to avoid losing.
"The most effective thing is what people already have, which is noise-canceling headphones," he said. "They are the best tool, hands down, to survive."
A little bit of obliviousness also helps: "A lot of people tell me that they are the kind of people who kind of go through life a little bit oblivious to their surroundings, and they have an easier time of it than most, I think, because they just don't pick up on music."
Listen to All Things Considered each day here or on your local member station for more stories like this.
In Britain, some pubs have even taken the song out of their Christmas playlists, so as to not ruin the game for people. But the whole point of the game is that there is a risk of listening to the song, Mertz said.
So for those who are still in the game, best of luck. For those who are already knocked out, or just want a bit of Wham! magic this holiday season, have another spin of the Christmas classic.
veryGood! (5986)
Related
- Ben Foster Files for Divorce From Laura Prepon After 6 Years of Marriage
- Why the transition to electric cars looms large in UAW talks with Big 3 automakers
- Virginia legislative candidate who livestreamed sex videos draws support from women: It's a hit job
- Tyler Cameron Reacts to BFF Matt James' Mom Patty Appearing on The Golden Bachelor
- 13 escaped monkeys still on the loose in South Carolina after 30 were recaptured
- Watchdogs probe Seattle police union chiefs for saying woman killed had 'limited value'
- Lidcoin: Privacy Coin - A Digital Currency to Protect Personal Privacy
- Lidcoin: Ether, Smart Contracts Lead Blockchain
- How to protect your Social Security number from the Dark Web
- Experts give Week 3 college football picks and Mel Tucker update in College Football Fix
Ranking
- Are banks, post offices, UPS and FedEx open on Veterans Day? Here's what to know
- Killer Danelo Cavalcante Captured By Police Nearly 2 Weeks After Escaping Pennsylvania Prison
- Coal mine collapses in northern Turkey, killing 1 miner and injuring 3 others
- Mauricio Umansky Shares Kyle Richards' Reaction to Him Joining Dancing with the Stars
- Why have wildfires been erupting across the East Coast this fall?
- Thailand’s government, seeking return of tourists from China, approves visa-free entry for 5 months
- Lidcoin: The Rise and Impact of Central Bank Digital Currency (CBDC)
- Libya flooding death toll tops 5,300, thousands still missing as bodies are found in Derna
Recommendation
-
Sting Says Sean Diddy Combs Allegations Don't Taint His Song
-
Ask HR: How to quit a job and what managers should do after layoffs
-
Lidcoin: 37 South Korean listed companies hold over $300 million in Cryptocurrencies in total
-
A fire that burned in a 9-story apartment building in Vietnam’s capital has killed about 12 people
-
Florida man’s US charges upgraded to killing his estranged wife in Spain
-
How Sean Diddy Combs Turned the 2023 MTV VMAs Into a Family Affair
-
River of red wine flows through Portuguese village after storage units burst
-
Wisconsin Republican leader asks former state Supreme Court justices to review impeachment