# of Players: 4-8

Time: 30 Minutes

Age: 18+

Gamer Type: Casual

Game Type: College/Party/NSFW

Complexity: 3

A True Party Game for Adults

Party games are designed to be fun and speak to their audience. The World’s Oldest Profession is a game designed for college parties and close friends. It isn’t really a game you want to be taking to the workplace. This also isn’t a game for kids. This game is in the vein of “Cards Against Humanity,” so if you liked that type of humor, this may be a fun game for you. This is a simple to learn, fun game and one that can be a neat talking piece on your shelf.

Story

The story of the World’s Oldest Profession is that you do not want to be a broke hooker. While this may seem like an insensitive topic, it draws attention to the problem of sex trafficking around the world. While there are jokes about pretty much everything in the streetwalking trade, the game still raises awareness. Even some of the more NSFW cards raise awareness of just how dangerous the sex trafficking in the community is. For the story, we give the game a 5 out of 10.

Artwork

The artwork of the game consists of the box, the pieces, and the cards. The cards for this game are text-based (which in this case is good because if they were not the game would be NC-17). The pieces of the game are twofold. First, there are gems representing players’ cash on hand. These are nice and go towards the overblown feel of the lifestyle. There are small plastic shoes, which are also a way to win the game. They are injection molded and quite well done. The gem of the game, however, is the box the game comes in. The pink lunchbox speaks to the culture of the field and draws awareness to the problems therein. The lunchbox saves the artwork, yet still only earns The World’s Oldest Profession a 4.5 out of 10 for artwork.

Mechanics

The mechanics for the game are simple and fun, but they really do have to be for a party game. Players draw and play cards to earn money, take money from other players, and try to gain shoes. The game is fast-paced and the cards are balanced. A lot of the laughs come from shock value, which does not hurt the game and really appeals to its target market. This earns the game a 4 out of 10 for mechanics.

Strategy

The game has two paths to victory. One player can put the other players out of money or can collect enough shoes. This bifurcated victory system allows for several different pathways to the win. Players can go for broke trying to earn money to buy shoes in a rush fashion. They can go on the offensive and attack players constantly. There is also a defensive strategy that we did not see play out in many of the games. Overall, there are ways you can win. When you are playing (and assumedly drinking) some of these methods can sneak up on other players. This earns The World’s Oldest Profession a solid 6 out of 10 for strategy.

Novelty

Novelty is one area where the World’s Oldest Profession has an edge up on other games. I have never played another game on this topic, and when you search on Google or Bing, there does not seem to be any others with this topic on the market. So for the subject matter, we see a strong novelty score. The card mechanics are interesting and the semi-dual-currency system adds a level that you do not see in many card games. This earns the game a 7.5 out of 10 for the novelty score.

Have Fun With This Game!

Don’t let the score of 27 out of 50 scare you away from this game. The World’s Oldest Profession is a good little party game to have when you and your friends want to have a couple of drinks and play a game that may shock and astound you. Plus some of the cards are just fun to hear other players say. While this game is not going to see a lot of tournament play, it meets its niche and is something I can definitely recommend (for those who are not easily shocked). Do not make the mistake of playing this with your family or at work, however, as it is definitely in the NSFW category.