Perplex City Academy Games
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Website: http://www.perplexcityacademygames.com/
General
- The Games are perhaps the most highly watched public sporting event in Perplex City
- As an extension of the Perplex City Academy, the Academy Games encourage public mental competitions
- It is a largely student-run organization
- The organization has a staunch drug-free policy
- The first PCAG events have been hosted on Earth, in New York and London
- The Games are a gruelling 21-day contest of skill and intelligence
- The final event is the culmination of a year-round selection and competition process
- The Champion excels in seven different events, six of which are chosen annually from a pool, while the seventh event, Clash, recurs every year
Location
- The headquarters of the PCAG is at the Games Plaza, which is:
- Close to the harbour.
- Near Key Square Station
- Across the street from the Maitland Museum
- Most competitions take place elsewhere in the City, but the final 16 competitions are always held at the Plaza.
- Qualifying events run at least once a day somewhere in the city or the surrounding area.
- The award ceremony takes place on the roof of the building in summer.
Schedule
- Exhibition matches take place most days of the year
Exhibition matches in the Park and Mercator Square | throughout June and July |
First round of knockout competitions | 1st - 31st August 2005 |
Second round of knockout competitions | 1st - 30th September 2005 |
Third round of knockout competitions | 1st - 31st October 2005 |
Fourth round of knockout competitions | 1st - 30th November 2005 |
One-on-one Matches | 26th - 31st December 2005 |
Multi-player Games | 1st - 7th January 2006 |
All-Player Team Event | 7th January 2006 |
One-on-one Knockout Matches | 8th - 13th January 2006 |
Championship Final | 14th January 2006 |
Founder's Ball Celebration | 15th January 2006 |
The last 21 days of competition are described as "intense and gruelling". 1,000 finalists are narrowed down to a single champion. For more on this, see: http://www.perplexcityacademygames.com/takepart_finaldays.html
In brief:
- At the end of the first week, 125 competitors will remain.
- The last day of the second week is generally reserved for a team game in which all the competitors participate.
- The third week is an intensive series of one-on-one games, with half the remaining competitors being knocked out every day.
- The final contest of the games is a day-long set of Clash games played between the two remaining competitors.
- On the day after the final, 15 January, the Academy by tradition holds a ball to celebrate the end of the games and to award the trophy to the champion.
Prizes
- PCAG Prizes include:
- Overall Champion
- The Scribe Prize
- Historically, "Weaver’s Guild Board of Excellence in the Game of Piramid" was used to track winners, in the pre-modern era.
Games Year
- Essentially, a Games Year involves spending one extra year at the Academy, taking part in devising and setting puzzles.
- A study by the Perplex City Academy shows that students who take a Games Year tend to excel in the work place
- Making 8% more salary at their first jobs
- Making a stunning 22% more after ten years
The 268AC Season
- See PCAG 268 Season
The 269AC Season
Exhibition Matches
- 18-JUN-06 - Myra Champaign defeats Oliver Pohele; Champaign aims to improve her performance over last year.
Knockout Matches
- Quietly began with very little public notice.
- Week of 15-NOV-06 -
- Alma Finnegan makes "brilliantly executed win over Oliver Pohele", placing her at the top of the board. (link)
- Gabriella Petel has been slowly sinking through the ranks and has become dangerously close to being knocked out despite last year's stellar performance;
- Ethan Roanoke bested Ryan Cahill in their Tuesday match, though Cahill has since recovered the points;
- Klaus Johnson has bowed out of the tournament, citing health reasons.
- Week of 15-DEC-06 -
- End of the Knockout matches!
- Serena Duncan overtakes the lead, having beaten out Klaus Johnson.
- Ryan Cahill gracefully embraces second place.
- Alma Finnegan impresses audiences in third.
Scandal!
- 05-SEP-06 - Insiders inform the Sentinel "a serious investigation is underway regarding the illicit use of cognitive enhancement during the final three weeks of championship play over the last four years."
- Observers and players in the games, including Gabriella Petel, have stated this may be nothing more than a publicity stunt.
- 15-DEC-06 - After no apparent action for months on end, Paula Ching, director of the Substance Compliance Program at the PCAG, reportedly approaches completion on an in depth investigation of drug use among athletes. No word yet as to who may be indicated, though she did state great caution is being taken to ensure the integrity of the games.
- It appears to be not a publicity stunt at all, and those who have something to worry about should probably start worrying.
People Involved
PCAG Winners
- 215AC - Mimasan Maze Gardener Ornella Zaid
- 223AC - Professor Sanjean Adamek - Overall Winner
- 248AC - Professor Astrid Lindstrom - Overall Winner
- 256AC - Roberto Solitano - Languages Section Winner
- 267AC - Ryan Cahill
- 268AC - Serena Duncan - Early favourite and pre-season champion
- 269AC - Ryan Cahill
PCAG Record Holders
- Professor Estelle Sedgewick holds the record in the linguistic category
PCAG Officials
- Robert Zhi-hui, Chairman
- Paula Ching, Director of Substance Compliance
- Samara Jones, Official Statistician
PCAG Puzzle Setters
- Sienna Greenlawn, a puzzle-setter in 268AC.
- Ornella Zaid, a puzzle-setter from 218, until her death in 269.
Noteworthy Players
An average of 100,000 people enter the Games each year. Listed below are those few who make a bit of a splash on the gaming scene.
Superstars
- Ryan Cahill - 267 Champion; 269 Champion
- Serena Duncan - 268 Champion
- Alma Finnegan - doing quite well in third place at the start of the 2006 finals.
- Myra Champaign - 9th youngest player ever admitted
- Oliver Pohele - Defeated Serena Duncan in a surprise crucial match
- Gabriella Petel - Described early on as a "Championship favourite" in 2005
- Ryman Gardner - Appearing weekly on 'The Lab' in 2005
Noteables
- Bryce Goran
- Kay Bedling
- Jack Fleury
- Kevin Hamlet
- Klaus Johnson
- Lucius Jorgensen
- Franz Lambert
- Jeannie Murrow
- Ethan Roanoke
- Georgi Shepherd
- Janice Termigant
- Mikhail Terpening
Ejected players
- Viktor Helm - ejected after testing positive for mental enhancers
- Gina Laskey - ejected after testing positive for mental enhancers
- Jackson Nuru - ejected after testing positive for mental enhancers; has petitioned to rejoin the games.
References
Website: http://www.perplexcityacademygames.com/findus.html
- Perplex City Sentinel
- article, 21-MAR-05 "PCAG Ejects Nuru" (link)
- feature, 23-APR-05 "The Perplex City Tour Guide" (link)
- article, 09-MAY-05 "Study Shows Games Year Aids Careers" (link)
- article, 31-MAY-05 "Champaign Accepted into Competition" (link)
- News in Brief, 01-JUN-05 "Holiday Exhibition moved" (link)
- article, 17-JUN-05 "Champaign Leaves Match in Tears" (link)
- article, 22-JUN-05 "Names of Six 'The Lab' Contestants Leaked" (link)
- article, 14-JUL-05 "Goran Out of Games" (link)
- article, 03-AUG-05 "PCAG Championship Season Opens" (link)
- article, 08-AUG-05"Serena Takes Lead in Beginning Rounds of Championship Play" (link)
- article, 12-SEP-05 "Champaign Falls, Cahill Climbs" (link)
- article, 29-SEP-05 "Iona Interviews... Ryan Cahill" (link)
- article, 18-OCT-05 "Duncan Defeated By Upstart Pohele" (link)
- article, 28-NOV-05 "Duncan Determined to Reclaim Prize Despite Defeats" (link)
- article, 09-JAN-06 "Duncan Shines During Week of Team Play" (link)
- article, 09-JAN-06 "PCAG, Mind Candy Plan Earth Events" (link)
- letters, 12-JAN-05 "PCAG Judging Bias" (link)
- article, 02-FEB-06 "Former Champion Zaid Passes Away at 99" (link)
- article, 27-FEB-06, Blafard in NY Crowned First Earth PCAG Winner
- article, 06-APR-06 "Nuru Petitions PCAG for Requalification" (link)
- more news in brief, 19-JUN-06 "Champaign Sparkles" (link)
- article, 05-SEP-06 "PCAG Investigating Championship Substance Abuse" (link)
- article, 18-SEP-06 "PCAG Season Warms Up, Albeit Slowly" (link)
- article, 15-DEC-06 "Cahill, Duncan Resume Battle for PCAG Lead" (link)
- http://www.perplexcityacademy.com/departments.html - Many, if not all, members of the Academy Staff played in the games.
- Pietro Salk's Eulogy (link)