Tales of Punishment

A few things about me.

1) I’ve been a guest at Phoenix Comicon for four years now.  It is my favorite con, my home con, and I love it dearly enough to have spent a lot of effort contributing to it via lending my particular expertise to its panels and attendants.

2) I love Japanese television.  Not anime (or at least, not just anime), but all Japanese television.  Specifically, the Japanese game show.  Specifically specifically, the Japanese batsu (punishment) game show.  Specifically specifically specifically, the Japanese batsu game shows as performed by the comedy duo of Gaki no Tsukai Ya Arehende!!  A manzai team featuring one of my personal heroes, comedian and screenwriter, Hitoshi Matsumoto.

A Batsu Game is more or less exactly what it sounds like: people are given a task to complete and are punished if they fail it.  Gaki no Tsukai does one every year and it is always amazing.  Most of these challenges revolve around one challenge: do not laugh.  You can find an awesome example of it here.

3) Having spent all these years building up good will with the people of Phoenix Comicon, I thought it would be great to blow it all by requesting the privilege of paying homage to people (and specifically, a person) who have entertained me and deeply affected and inspired by own sense of humor by hosting a Batsu Game of my own.

Really, the stars aligned on this one as several people made a series of bad decisions.

First of all, the Phoenix Comicon literary track foolishly agreed to let me do it.

Secondly, I asked my friends Myke Cole, Aprilynne Pike, Chuck Wendig, John Scalzi, Delilah S. Dawson, Patrick Rothfuss and Leanna Renee Heiber to join.  They all foolishly agreed.

And finally, I requested that the whole thing be videotaped, that we could enjoy it again and again.  Thus, the Triforce of Terrible Decisions was completed.

And now I pass the savings on to you, the viewer.  Please watch the Author Batsu Game here.