Ever wondered if games were be able to influence our daily lives. I’m not just talking about boardgames that make you brainier (Scrabble for instance) or sharper (Settlers of Catan), but what if you played a game, and your very life depended on it?

Such is the premise of the American horror flick, “The Black Waters of Echo’s Pond,” in which a group of students stumble upon an ancient looking boardgame by accident.

Little do they know that the game would have a life of its own, and start claiming their lives one by one. It does so in the most sinister manner: by making them turn on one another!

Yeah, it does sound cliché and farfetched, but check out the website here, for the cool trailer and other info on the show.

Now, while I’m eagerly waiting to check this movie out (if it ever makes it to local shores), it did remind me of another movie that featured a boardgame as its central theme.

I’m talking about 1995’s Jumanji, which starred Robin Williams and very young Kirsten Dunst. A little bit more family-oriented, the movie also featured a boardgame (titled Jumanji) which summoned jungle hazards and creatures on the roll of a die.

There was a boardgame produced by Milton Bradley to coincide with the movie’s release. It only did moderately well, and is still found in selected online game stores and auction websites.

Till the next time, may you never be “killed” by your friend or trampled by a rhinoceros!