How You Can Play The ‘Game of Shrooms’

How do you deal with overwhelming feelings of existentialism? How do you overcome thoughts of depression, or a lack of control in your life? Well, if you are Daniel Seifert, also known as ‘Attaboy’, it could be by creating a global scavenger hunt for those who love both arts’n’carfts, and mushrooms. If that sounds a little extreme to you, then you’re not alone — for Daniel himself never expected it would become the phenomenon it is today. 

Feeling Lost? Hide a Mushroom

In a 2022 mini documentary by Hi Fructose Art Magazine (a platform Seifert co-founded) he tells us how, in 2019, in the midst of an existential crisis, he decided to start hiding mushrooms around his local area. However, it’s not as random as it seems; feeling out of control, Seifert turned to a comforting ritual from his childhood. You see, his grandmother was an artist, and the young Daniel used to help her to paint ceramic mushrooms in her studio. When finished, they would place them playfully all over the house and garden. 

Brightening the Lives of Strangers

This warming memory inspired Seifert to “…change the narrative of my day.” Creating, and then disseminating little works of art gave him a new sense of control and purpose to his daily life. He was also buoyed up by the thought of someone finding one, and the surprise and joy it would bring them. By bringing these little flashes of creative joy into people’s lives, Seifert began to brighten far more days than just his own. And, unsurprisingly, these glimmers became especially inspirational during the Covid-19 lockdowns that would soon put the world to a standstill. 

The Shrooms Begin to Spread

Seifert noticed that other artists were following his lead, hiding their own mushroom artworks across galleries and museums. This was when he began to realize that his own healing journey had expanded into something much, much, larger. Soon artists from Mexico, Russia, Germany, Japan, the UK, Poland, Hong Kong, Switzerland, Tasmania, and of course the US, among others were hiding shrooms. In 2023, even Antarctica got involved!

How Can You Get Involved?

So how can you play along? Well, whether you want to hunt shrooms, make art, or both, you should start by checking out https://yumfactory.com/gameofshrooms/. Here, you can look at the Artist Map, to see which artists are participating in your area. You can also sign up and submit your art and location in time for the big day.

So, when is the big day? When does the Game of Shrooms kick off? 

This year the Game of Shrooms will fall on June 6th. By following the hashtag #gameofshrooms or following @gameofshroomsofficial on Instagram you will be able to see which artists are participating, so you can peep a preview of what you could soon be hunting for. On June 6th itself, the participating artists will post clues on their stories as to where they’ve hidden their shroomy masterpieces. 

If you follow these clues, and are smart/lucky enough to find where one is hidden, you must take a picture and tag the artist. Both so other people know it is found, and to show off your new artwork. 💅

A Growing Community Across the World

A treasure hunt such as this awakens feelings of childhood joy and excitement. A quest to find a magical object, a thrilling race against time and the other shroom hunters. However, despite the structure of competition, the vibe is good, kind, and groovy. The art is free! It is made for the taking, for the joy of others. Even if you do not end up finding any of the mushroom masterpieces, you have taken part in something bigger than yourself, connecting you with mycelium-like tentacles to other people, both in your local area, and across the world. 

People are enjoying this new community so much that further measures are being taken to connect in person. Last year Daniel even rented out Fairyland Children’s Park in Oakland so participants could meet, celebrate the success of the event, and perhaps even hide some new shrooms. (Children were in fact, not invited.)

So if you feel like joining in this year, don’t hesitate. Come June 6th you may meet a whole new community of shroom fans in your local area you never knew were there…

For more info, and to soak up the Game of Shrooms vibe, check out the mini-documentary below!