“Mind Over Matter” was the first corporate game developed by Athlon I.A. and can be played by any business with at least 8 employees (access to 40 live chickens and a vat of industrial glue is also helpful, but not required). Players from each team take on roles as secret agents from 4 different countries: USA, France, China, and Great Britain. They receive missions via email and telephone from Athlon I.A. Players interact with each other and complete the objectives in real life and then logon to our website to report back the results. We analyze the results and send out new missions accordingly. The game is played in rounds with one team being eliminated from each round.

For each game, it is necessary for one person, usually a manager or owner, to help administer the game but not actually play. This manager is scripted into the plot and emailed step by step instructions on what to do. Before the game starts, this person is to announce to everyone playing the game that there will soon be a contest to determine the group of employees that most exemplify good morals and ethics. They are to be very vague and that is all they are to tell the employees. We take it from there.

Throughout the game, players are told that this manager’s real identity is Pat Thornbacker, a scientist who discovered the secrets of mind control. The employees are then in competition to impress Thornbacker in order to hopefully gain the secrets. Don’t worry if you think that the idea of mind control secrets is a bit “out there,’ there’s a reason for that which you’ll discover towards the end as we poke fun even at ourselves. WARNING: Although we do not encourage the practice, butt kissing to the manager may increase exponentially during this game. Copious amounts of Chapstick may be required.

Here are some of the major missions from “Mind Over Matter”:

1. Preparation: Teams must establish a team structure and leadership before they are contacted by one of our agents and given further mission instructions. This mission is mostly about brainstorming to make sure you are better prepared than the others for the up coming conflict. Also, as a warm-up, agents select one fellow coworker to show an act of kindness.

2. Open Conflict: Realizing that the other nations are trying to impress Thornbacker too, agents devise counter measures to distract and agitate other agents. To accomplish this, teams use perhaps the most feared of all stealthy weapons… the office prank! (Don’t worry, employees have specific instructions to make it hilarious but not to let it get out of control.)

3. Kill ‘Em With Kindness: In order to prove that the remaining teams are the most moral, teams organize and raise money for their favorite charity. How, where, and when is all up to the teams, as long as they follow some of our guidelines.

4. Secret Mission: What? You mean that there might be a mission or two that we can’t reveal? You bet your sweet caboose there is. What kind of secret spy game would this be if there weren’t some plot twists and turns? You’re just going to have to play to figure it all out.

Sample email 1, taken from round 1 email to team USA:

Greetings United States Secret Service Agents,

This is U.S. Headquarters. We hope you are prepared for your first assignment. Here is the briefing and the details of your mission:

As you are aware, tensions are mounting between our nation and the potentially hostile nations of China, Britain, and France. Thornbacker will pass on the secrets to only one group, the group who is the most ethically and morally worthy. Before we can start our plans, you all must organize yourselves if we hope to have a chance of beating the other nations. Hence, your first assignments will consist of gathering supplies, collecting and exchanging confidential documents, and setting up your initial group structure. Call it an arms race if you will – the bottom line is that we’ve got to beat those other countries in preparation or we won’t have a chance to win Thornbacker’s trust! Therefore, the initial part of your first mission will be to complete the following tasks as soon as possible:…

Sample email 4, taken from round 2 email to team France:

Bonjour, Espions Secrets des Militaires Français,

Despite your recent success, an even greater threat is upon you. The remaining nations have learned of our strategy to butter up Thornbacker. …(text omitted to help conceal plot)

…If your weaponry in this round is office pranks, then you’re obviously going to need to start thinking of some real doozies. Therefore, your first priority will be to arm yourselves by putting your heads together and thinking of how to have a lot of fun at your “coworker’s” expense. Of course, you’ll be walking a fine line. A prank that is too simple will not be effective. A prank that is too harsh or interferes with work will be frowned upon by Thornbacker and thus will be counterproductive. So you will be called upon to use your best judgment when selecting pranks. You are free to think up any good pranks on your own. You’ll need a lot of them if you are going to stay in the race for Thornbacker’s secrets. The good news is, we’ve compiled a short list of acceptable pranks to get you started:

1. This is the perfect prank for the anal retentive coworker that parks their car in the same spot every day. Swipe their keys and move their car over exactly one parking space. Repeat this in an irregular pattern for about a month. Unless they are highly suspicious of the other pranks you have been pulling, the coworker will be certain they are losing their mind.

2. If there is a coworker who keeps pictures on a desk or wall, get your group together and make pictures of you all posing exactly the same way. Then simply replace the pictures and see how long it takes for them to notice.

3. Switch the M & N keys. This prank will really frustrate any hunt and peck typist. Take a look at your keyboard. Notice how the M and the N key are just sitting there side by side? It's easy to confuse them. Especially if you swap around the keys on the keyboard. Pry off the keys using a screwdriver or a house key. They should pop off rather easily. Swap the keys and press them back into place. The great thing about this prank is that it can be done with just about any keyboard you run across.

The engagement period for this mission starts today. After you complete a prank, logon to our website and describe it to us so we can determine just how successful it was. They will never know what hit them. But be warned….

For corporate games, each employer is encouraged to provide a prize for the winning team. You can make it as grand or as small as you want. It can be money, vacation time, parking spaces, or money (oh, did we already mention that?). Athlon I.A. could provide prizes for corporate games, but the cost would ultimately just be passed on the customer and the prize wouldn’t be special.

If this is your first time purchasing one of our games, you’ll probably have some questions for us or just want some more information. To request information, just click this link Request Information and fill out the form and one of our friendly team members will help you every step of the way.

If you are a returning customer and already know what you’re doing, go ahead and click on Create A Game to start right away.