The game aims to let the audience know how two people can communicate by "telepathy." The name of this game is taken from a joke about the power of fake magic "black magic" (black magic) and at the same time a clue for the audience to guess how the game is played. Even when the audience has guessed correctly, there are still plenty of ways for the two players to exchange information, keeping the game fun and different every time it's played.
Step
Method 1 of 2: Playing Black Magic
Step 1. Ask an assistant to follow you to another room
You must teach your assistant the secrets of black magic. Pick someone up and take them to a separate room, or call them before you hang out with your friends. The rest of the group will become the audience and remain ignorant of the game's secrets.
If you want the play to be dramatic, tell the group that you need a quiet room to "make a magical connection."
Step 2. Tell the assistant how the game is played
In private, tell your assistant the secret of the game. Tell him that you will be pointing to several different objects in the room and will ask if they are what you have in mind. The assistant must still answer "No", but at the same time you must also pay attention to the color of the object you are pointing at. When you point to a black object, he will say "No" again. However, the next object you point to will be the correct answer and the assistant must answer "yes" to that object.
- If you don't understand this step, read the rest of the instructions to see how the game is played in more detail.
- The game has many variations, each using a different secret cue. Some of them are described in the next section.
Step 3. Return to the room alone
Leave your assistant. Make sure your Assistant can't hear your voice or the audience may suspect, wrongly, that the "mystical power" assistant is simply eavesdropping.
Step 4. Ask a spectator to choose any object in the room
Ask a volunteer to choose an object in the room. Ask him to tell you what the object is, explain that you will send a magical message to your assistant to let him know which object the viewer chose.
If the audience thinks the assistant is eavesdropping instead of you pointing, ask the volunteer to point to the object. Ask the volunteer to walk towards the object and point at it closely, to confirm the object he is pointing at
Step 5. Call the assistant back into the room
Make sure that all viewers know what the object is pointing at and tell them to keep it a secret from your assistant. Call the assistant back into the room. If he can't hear you, have someone bring him back into the room.
If you only send one person, the viewer may think that he or she is telling the assistant what it is and making the trick less mysterious
Step 6. Point to some objects in the room and ask "Am I thinking _?
" Point to a window, chair, clothing, or any object in the room that is not selected (not the object that is the answer) and ask the question. Fill in the blanks with the name of the object. As long as you're not pointing at the black object, your assistant should say "No."
- Try to point in different ways, using two fingers at one object, then vaguely waving to the next. The audience will suspect that you and your assistant have already set a certain code with your moves, which will cause them to get the wrong clues and make it difficult for them to guess the real method.
- You can also make a "message-sending" show before pointing, by raising your hand to the side of your head while looking at your assistant.
Step 7. Point to a black object
Point to a black object that was not chosen by the volunteer involved. Ask "Am I thinking _?" while mentioning the name of the black object. Your assistant should answer “No” one more time.
Step 8. Point to the correct object
As previously planned with your assistant, the object you point to after the black object is the object the volunteer guessed. Your assistant will answer “Yes” to this question, and the audience will be amazed at how you tell the secret.
Step 9. Let the audience try to guess how you did it
At this point, the audience will usually try to guess how you did the trick. Smile and say "no" when someone guesses it wrong, or repeat the trick in a different way to show they're wrong. For example, if someone guesses that you always point to the correct object in the fifth question, repeat the trick with a different object and point to the object in the third or eighth question.
To keep the audience curious and guessing for a long time, use some of the variations of this game in the section below. If you plan it in advance, you can even play it with a detailed plan with your assistant. For example, you can use the "black" method the first time you play, the number method the second time, and the black method again the third time
Method 2 of 2: Black Magic Variation
Step 1. With your assistant, choose a number
Instead of using the "black object" method, tell your assistant that the seventh object you point to will always be the correct answer. Of course, you can replace it with any number, but choosing a number greater than five will make the trick more difficult to guess.
Step 2. Make a gesture to signal, and let the other person ask the question
To really wow the audience, don't be the one pointing and allow a volunteer to point to the object. Plan the cue in advance with your assistant to let him know when the correct object will be selected. For example, tapping your foot lightly, blinking quickly, or scratching your hand when the volunteer points to the correct object.
- Suspicious viewers may notice you as the game progresses, so this method is a tricky one to do. If possible, stand behind the audience and make some other moves that are not part of the code to outwit the audience.
- Assistant that can distract the audience will be better to play with this version. Ask him to crack a joke, stretch or pretend he's thinking hard about each question, while peeking at your cues.
Step 3. Instead of pointing, name the object
Create rules for "good" words, but don't tell anyone about these rules. The rule could be “words ending in T are good,” “words with two vowels in a row are good,” “words with SH are good”, or whatever you think. All other words are "ugly". Ask the audience to say the words out loud, then tell them whether the words are good or bad. The audience has to try to guess just by saying the words; ask them not to guess and say the rules out loud so people who don't know the answer can keep guessing.
Step 4. Try to guess without any code
Even if you don't believe in “occult” powers, you can probably tell when someone is lying or being honest by their tone of voice or body language. Choose a family member or close friend of yours, as you are more familiar with them, and take good care of them. Ask him to say "I was thinking…" while looking at you and try to guess whether he is lying or not based on his facial expressions, movements and tone of voice.
Most psychologists and researchers do not believe in "Extra-Sensory Perception" or other mysterious abilities that transmit thoughts. However, if you are interested in learning more about it, there is a lot of research on the topic
Tips
- If the volunteer chooses a black object, simply pick another black object in the room and point to it first.
- If you want to help the audience guess the trick, make it easier to play in the next round by telling the color of the object while pointing at it.
- You can wear black shoes or clothes to make sure you have something to point to. However, it is usually not difficult to find some black objects in a room.
