Contests and Competitions

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Culture and Society > Recreation > Contests and Competitions

Image from Chris Shaeffer
Spacediving is a popular extreme sport, especially on worlds which have space elevators, hypertall buildings, orbital rings and other structures which extend above the atmosphere. Even more challenging is an aerobraking re-entry jump from orbit, which requires some form of heatshield

Throughout known space there are various contests and competitions by which sophonts can test their skills. They provide a welcome challenge for many of the most competitive inhabitants of the Terragen Sphere, particularly among the citizens of the Sephirotic Empires. Some contests are dangerous, even deadly, but this often adds to their appeal.

Articles

Centurion Chili Cookoff - Text by John B
A prestigious competition between culinary institutes at New Daffy to produce 'the best chili available'.
Challenge, The - Text by Chris Shaeffer
A 5-day annual modosophont biont adventure stage race in the Evermore habitat complex.
Chameleon Suit - Text by M. Alan Kazlev; minor additions by Stephen Inniss
Full-body stealth suit covered in specialized interlinked mesobots and nanobots that form an Optical Phased Array. The background on one side of the suit is detected via cambanks and this is then projected on the other side, enabling the wearer to be invisible. Some models also have built-in laser capacity. Not as sophisticated or impervious to detection as a janusuit, and easily detected by most perimeter security tech (motion analysis, nano cloud, sonics, interferometry, etc). It is still used in some kinds of games and sports, or on occasion for casual anonymity where security devices have not been deployed. It is till popular among some feral and barbarian groups.
da Vinci Games - Text by John B
Contest to create a working replica of one of the sketchbook designs of that preeminent genius. Note - the animate Sistine diorama has been outlawed since the third such event, when the God icon went "off the deep end".
Deathjungle of Kalii - Text by Thorbørn Steen
An extremely hostile xenobiological sensestem, an environmental mind contained within a naturally evolved jungle ecosystem
Dropball - Text by Mark Ryherd
Solo sport played by launching a ball from orbit towards the surface of a planet
Eaglenet - Text by Jorge Ditchkenberg
A recreational device allowing unaugmented hu, and other clades, to fly like a bird.
Elemental Taboo - Text by Tony Jones
Similar to Technological Taboo, but instead of placing limitations on a particular method or technology it restricts the abundance of the various elements from which technology and living organisms may be built.
End of the World Survivor Competition - Text by Ryan B
(EWSC)Highly acclaimed competition held on Thanatos wherein players attempt to survive in environments designed to resemble mythical, historic or otherwise popular apocalyptic environments.
Everythingiana Worldbuilding Contest - Text by Mike Parisi
A competition to see just how rapidly contestants (and usually eir descendants) can create a nanotech level civilization, literally from the ground up.
Extreme Contests - Text by Eric Lo, John B, Steve Bowers, and M. Alan Kazlev
Competitions and contests that often involve great risk to the participants; unusually popular, especially among some bionts. Proof of recent backup/copy and legal waver is standard on most civilized worlds.
Immunity Challenge - Text by Mark Ryherd
An Extreme Contest where challengers expose themselves to various pathogenic agents to test their immune systems.
Klank - Text by John B
A fairly common vec brushbot physical control mode which is noted for its unarmed combat potential.
Physnet - Text by John B
A zero-gravity ball sport involving two players, magnetic grappling apparatus, maneuver jets, 5 kinetic "disabler" balls, and the score-causing "Good Bit".
RAISE (The Race of Aam - Inner Sphere Eaglenets) - Text by Jorge Ditchkenberg
The Terragen Sphere's top eaglenet race between Aam Taam and Jara Tian, Wega.
Relief - Text by John B
NoCoZo system in which there there are effectively no crimes if one can pay. There are five main habitats; two cater to the extreme pleasure market and three to hunting and aggression.
Reltrapworld - Text by Jorge Ditchkenberg
A fraction of virtual worlds are run by bizarre, breakaway virtual beings, which often have only a limited understanding of the rl. For the real persons entering or interacting with them via virtual reality, they appear as nothing less than nightmares brought to life, or deadly traps. Reltrapworlds are illegal and punished by erasing the virtual existence(s) who created them. Nevertheless, some still sneak through.
Ritual Duels - Text by Jorge Ditchkenberg
One-on-one combat between baseline-equivalent sapients under the supervision of higher level transapients.
Skypirates of Ember, The - Text by Mike Miller
Hobbyists who stage competitive sky battles in outsized aircraft, styling themselves as 'pirates'.
Technological Taboo - Text by Mike Parisi
Variant of the Encyclopaedia Everythingiana Worldbuilding Competition. The object of the game (whether real or virtual) is to achieve the highest "general" level of technology possible, while avoiding one or more specific "taboo" techs.
UltiFood Competition - Text by John B
A competitive judging of various 'ultimate' foods on a plethora of criteria.
Zeegrav-ball - Text by M. Alan Kazlev after the original by Kevin Self
Popular sport among baseline and nearbaseline humans, especially those spending extended time in microgravity environments.
Zero Tag - Text by Michael Walton
Common children's game played on space habitats throughout the Civilized Galaxy.