What Beats Rock
What is What Beats Rock?
What Beats Rock is an online puzzle game that invites players to engage in a limitless exploration of logic, creativity, and imagination. Unlike the classic game of Rock, Paper, Scissors, where each option has a fixed relationship (rock beats scissors, scissors beat paper, and paper beats rock), What Beats Rock expands this dynamic into an open-ended challenge. Players are asked to come up with answers to the question “What beats rock?” without the constraints of a predefined set of rules.
This makes What Beats Rock not just a game, but a mental exercise that encourages lateral thinking. It invites players to propose an endless array of objects, concepts, or phenomena that could hypothetically defeat rock in some way. The game celebrates creativity by allowing answers that range from logical to abstract, from the scientific to the absurd.
How to Play What Beats Rock: The Rules
The gameplay in What Beats Rock is incredibly simple, yet surprisingly deep:
The Question: Upon entering the game’s webpage, you are presented with a single prompt: “What beats rock?” The webpage itself is minimalist, featuring little more than the question and a text box where you submit your answer.
Submit Your Answer: Players must type an answer that they believe “beats” rock. There are no wrong answers, only more imaginative or creative ones. The game doesn’t provide specific feedback about whether your answer is correct or incorrect—it simply encourages you to keep thinking.
Think Beyond the Obvious: While the initial reaction might be to type “paper” (following the rules of Rock, Paper, Scissors), the challenge is to go beyond traditional thinking. For example, you might suggest “water” (as it erodes rock), “time” (as it eventually breaks down all things), or “diamond” (as it can cut through rock).
Explore Endless Possibilities: The game is open-ended, meaning that once you’ve submitted an answer, you can continue thinking of new possibilities. There are no levels or time limits—just an ongoing exploration of what could possibly defeat rock in various contexts.
No Scores, Just Ideas: Unlike most games, What Beats Rock doesn’t tally scores or offer a win/loss condition. The purpose is to engage in the thought experiment and explore the many different ways rock can be “beaten.”
Key Features of What Beats Rock
Minimalist Design: The game’s minimalist interface allows players to focus solely on the question at hand. Without distractions, the game creates an environment that fosters deep thinking and creativity.
Open-Ended Gameplay: The beauty of What Beats Rock lies in its lack of limits. There’s no end to the number of answers you can provide, and every new suggestion opens the door to further possibilities. It’s a game that can be played for a minute or for hours, depending on how far you want to take the thought experiment.
Creative Freedom: Unlike traditional puzzle or logic games, What Beats Rock doesn’t restrict you to a particular set of answers. Whether your answer is based on science, humor, or sheer imagination, it’s accepted. For instance, answers like “lava” (melts rock), “gravity” (can crush rock under enough pressure), or even “boredom” (symbolizing how static objects can be mentally defeated) are all valid and encouraged.