About the
Game

The Origin

Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock was invented by Sam Kass and Karen Bryla as an expansion of the classic Rock Paper Scissors. The problem with the original game? When played between people who know each other well, it tends to end in a tie 75–80% of the time.

By adding two extra moves — Lizard and Spock — each choice now beats two others and loses to two others, reducing the chance of a draw and making the game far more unpredictable and fun.

The Big Bang Theory

The game was popularized by Sheldon Cooper in the hit TV show The Big Bang Theory. It first appeared in Season 2, Episode 8 — “The Lizard-Spock Expansion” — where Sheldon introduces it to settle a dispute about what to watch on TV.

The show later gave proper credit to Sam Kass in Season 5, Episode 17 — “The Rothman Disintegration” — when Sheldon acknowledges Kass as the game's creator.

How It Works

As Sheldon puts it: “It's very simple. Scissors cuts paper, paper covers rock, rock crushes lizard, lizard poisons Spock, Spock smashes scissors, scissors decapitates lizard, lizard eats paper, paper disproves Spock, Spock vaporizes rock, and as it always has, rock crushes scissors.”