Mourning the death of Boxerjam

strike-a-match

Like many who were early to the Internet, I had for a time an AOL account, and became a big fan of some of the online multiplayer games that existed.  There was Slingo, of course, which has survived well and is around and kicking, but another suite of games that existed was Boxerjam’s games, which included both daily games called “The Puzzle Zone” and an online suite of game shows, which were created by Julann Griffin, wife of “Jeopardy!” creator Merv Griffin.

The Puzzle Zone games were fun, quick puzzles that fell into the vein of the puzzle books that I enjoy so much, but the real stars were the online game shows, which were a cornerstone of early AOL, as well as Sony’s the Station and other sites.  The classic three were Strike a Match, Out of Order and Napoleon.  A couple of additional games, such as Know it All, came later.

out-of-order

Each had its own twist.  In Strike a Match, at top, a series of words or phrases were shown, and you had to find relationships within them, first in pairs, and later in triplets, to make a connecting theme.  The gameshow Only Connect, featured here earlier, has a round which acts something like this. Out of Order scrambled key words and players were supposed to identify them.  Both games were played on a timer against other players; faster answers yielded higher scores. At their heights, a boatload of people would log on at a set time to play the newly released round of each game for the first time, in the hopes of obtaining a high score in a competition. This is quite similar to how You Don’t Know Jack‘s Facebook game releases episodes today (and did in their Netshow hey-day).

But it may be Napoleon that was nearest to my heart, and the game I spent the most time playing.  A tweaked version of French Poker, it was a quick, multi-round game where you drew five cards, discarded what you didn’t want and drew replacements, trying to make standard hands like a pair, two pair, full house, etc. It was a simple game with luck and strategy both coming into play, and I spent countless hours playing it.

boxerjam

Why reminisce? I had rediscovered the site at the end of last year, and played another couple of rounds of Napoleon, a rare treat (the game itself had been hidden from the homepage, but it still existed and worked! Alas, the site itself was taken down by its web host shortly thereafter and, according to its owners, not easily recovered.  So, for now, the classic games are off the web for the first time in nearly 20 years, and screenshots are few and far between. Here’s hoping they can revive the classic games in some form, either in mobile form or in a revived form on the web. They’re really, really good, and deserve to live on.

UPDATE: As noted in the comments, the founders of Boxerjam are back with a new site, Jam and Candy. Learn more about their latest effort in a review I’ve posted of their first round of games.

69 thoughts on “Mourning the death of Boxerjam

  1. Sorry to hear about the demise of our baby “Boxerjam”. We have good news for you. The creators of the games on Boxerjam have started anew and are developing mobile application games for phones and tablets. We have just launched our first offering “Move Your Vowels”. It is available in both iTunes and Google Play. We also have a little game called “Piki Paka” on our website.
    Join Julann Griffin, Maureen Roberts (JAM) and myself Candisse Reynolds (CANDY) on our new adventure. Check us out!

  2. I checked again recently on the website and it said “site temporarily unavailable”. Does this mean Boxerjam will be back again soon?

    • Hi Joe,

      Back in February they had a message up saying they were unable to revive the previous site, which was 10+ years old. Whether they are rebuilding it is a different question; certain games have resurfaced over the years in new incarnations, including a few of the Puzzle Zone puzzles as apps for iOS, so it’s certainly possible a new iteration could return, but it’d take awhile and I’m sure they’d announce it if it was in the cards.

      • Joshua, I know this is a response to a message 10yrs ago but I’d really love to play Out of Order. Do you think with the technology today you could bring it back to life for all us old timers??

  3. I played Napelon for at least 15 years, and enjoyed the game and miss it a lot. But, it’s not only the game I miss, but also the many online friendships I made with other players. We supported each other through illnesses, divorces, and celebrated with each other online on many other occasions, too. I remember being online the day of Sept. 11 and being there for each other.
    I hope the game is brought back!

    • I’m with you on that, Jackie – Napoleon was definitely one of my favorite online games, so much so that a friend of mine and I would time our visits when we’d both play to enter the same room. It was always a lot of fun, and the games were short enough to enjoy when only a few minutes were available. I hope they find a way to bring it back!

  4. Do you know how Boxerjam can be contacted? I have been paying for membership for a number of years and the current year is up this month. I do not want to be charged again and would like to put something in writing to suspend the membership. Certainly given the current situation it should be a moot point but don’t want to see the charge show up on my credit card. Thank you.

    • Their previous site said they would be cancelling subscriptions and refunding in certain cases. There was an email address posted but the site’s down now, and archive.org didn’t save a copy of the site down message.

      Boxerjam was acquired by Media General, but that’s a big company, so other than trying their website I’m not sure if there’s any other places you can try to connect. Sorry I couldn’t be of more help!

  5. aw, say it ain’t so. strike a match was one of my favs (with out of order a close second) for years, years ago. learned it from a good woman and we played it religiously (instead of going to church probably). i’ve been too busy in the last couple of years to be a regular again but have never forgotten it. some of the players’ banter was quite literate and engaging. i hope it can be revived in some form or fashion someday, sooner rather than later. i guess until then, it warrants a heartfelt RIP, Boxerjam.

  6. Can’t thank you enough for your post about Boxerjam! I had read about the games not being able to be retrieved from the server and was crushed that it was no longer in existence. I google it every so often to see if anything new has happened and that’s how I came across your post. I would never have known about Jam & Candy without reading it here. You have made my day! I checked out your blog and I think maybe I will stick around. 🙂

  7. Thank you for the excellent information that you have provided regarding BoxerJam and it’s games!
    Many years ago when I first cut my teeth on ‘Social Media’, the internet and AOL, I met some fine people within Boxerjam. They gave me my very first ‘online job.’ I worked for many years as BJGHostCis, and did so with pride. The game first started out with in the game area of AOL. NeverWinter Nights was a part of that area. They created a chat room with hosts for people to come in and chat about the latest game. And to often play games within the chat room that us hosts created.
    I have gone on to work for other online companies over the years, but I have yet to work with a finer group of people.
    I’m am sad to see their fine games gone, but I remain hopeful that they will be restored online soon.
    Thanks again for the excellent blog!

    • Hi, Joni! I don’t know if you remember me, but I was BJGHostLaf back in the day. I was just telling one of my co-workers about what it was like hosting in the chat room for these games, and then I decided to see what had become of them. I was surprised to see your comment on here. It’s been a long time since I’d thought about those days, but yours was one of the first (screen) names I thought of when I was reminiscing. :o) I hope you’re doing well!

    • I loved “Know It All”. I’m a trivia junkie and that game was my favorite online game OF ALL TIME. I was sorry when they went to a pay-to-play format.

  8. Oh how I miss the early Boxerjam chatroom nights…Those were such fun times on the internet. Sending a shout out to my old pals there; what a lovely camaraderie we had.

    • In this day and age I can’t understand why you can’t get these games back on line. They were fun, interesting and a learning opportunity. I decided to look into my favorites list and there was Boxerjam. Just waiting for me. I was like “Oh! Boy! I can play my favorite games again. But to my dismay I learned they were no longer available. ): Can you ever get them on line again? They were perfect as they were and would be again today.

  9. I miss Strike a Match so much. Will there every be another Strike a Match? Our of Order was fun and a few other games, but nothing beat the matching game. Waaahhhh :'(

  10. This can’t be true… it can’t be gone. I met the love of my life playing SAM. And we stayed up until the wee hours of the morning in his office (in our first house) playing OOO. :’-(

  11. My mom introduced my sister and I to OOO when it first came out. When she passed away in 2001, we continued to play in memory of her. When it disappeared we didn’t know what to do. Now we’ve been reduced to playing stupid word games and trivia games just to come close to what OOO offered. If you have the know-how and means, please bring OOO back!!!!!!

  12. I LOVED THE BOXERMATCH GAMES!!!! WHY IS ALL I ASK WAS IS SHUT DOWN?????????

    I LOVED THE BOXER GAMES!!! WHY ON EARTH WAS IT CLOSED DOWN????????

  13. I agree, Linda !!!! I miss playing OOO so much. I played it probably a thousand times. Then all of a sudden, poof, it was gone! You would think that in this day and age and the computer whizzes out there, they could figure out how to bring OOO back.

  14. Hi all, another boxerjam fan still in mourning over its loss too. I was a regular Strike a Match player, and Know it all ( found out i didn’t know much, lol) when SAM was down. I too miss the camaraderie with the players . I am excited and hopeful for this new JamandCandy.com creating a new version of Strike a Match!
    Lets all pray together that this comes together. Hello back to Petesdaughter and all the rest of the gang I used to play with! I miss you all! Tlwlady aka occasionally TheWoman1

  15. I too miss Boxerjams OOO. Used to stay up til the early hours of the morning playing all the time with my 2 little sisters! I was always in charge of the keyboard as i was oh about 13yrs old and easily the fastest typer in my family. I even miss the little jingle that would play and how you had until the two birds coming from opposing sides met in the middle to type and unscramble as fast as you were able to!! Makes me so sad knowing that OOO is sadly no longer around!! ? but since it is now June of 2016 when i am writing this.. Does ANYONE know if they have recreated OOO as this question is coming 2 yrs after the original blogger posted this blog? Sincerely, a guy who out of the blue and out of nowhere just remembered his favorite AOL game of all time and decided to google it and see if it was still around these days.. And sadly came across this blog. So please if ANYONE knows if they have somehow recreated OOO on the play store for Android.. I have bookmarked this page and hope someone can shed some light on this for me!! It would be much appreciated! My Boxerjam screen name was Wearegood32. I miss you all! Goodnight peoples!

  16. Why can’t you put strike a match on jam & candy? How hard can it be? My friend Carlene and I used to play for hours. She’s gone now and I miss her and strike a match.

  17. I just remembered about the boxerjam games and got excited as Out of Order and Know it all were my favorites. When someone mentioned Napolean I remembered I also loved that but can’t remember it from the description of it. My daughter regretted telling me about them because I played them so much. If anyone finds them anywhere else please email me!
    Why can’t the people that created them just do it again?

  18. the good old days of AOL are gone but not forgotten. What fun we all had. I am almost 90 years old and don’t figure I will ever have as much fun as early AOL.

  19. Man i loved strike a match and out of order. I used to play with my grams but she has since passed. I wish they would find a way to bring them all back.

  20. I started playing OOO on AOL back in 1997, and found a few friends doing so and still have contact with one of them to this day. They were great games and will be sorely missed. Why is it that things have to vanish like this? Yes, I know – nothing is permanent (except change) but it doesn’t have to be so in this internet age. I just wish they would make these games available for devices, including PC.

    It’s September, 2018 and I have found a couple of sites that call themselves Boxer Jam and they have nothing to do with games. So I guess that is that.

  21. I’ve been out of commission for several years and am just learning of the demise of Boxerjam. I’m so sad. I LOVED these games! PLEASE BRING THEM BACK!!!

  22. Glad to see that so many other people really enjoyed the boxerjam games. I really miss them, and like all of you, played them every day. I too would be willing to pay a nominal fee if they were to return.

  23. My brother turned me on to Boxerjam games and we loved playing. We lived in different states, but Boxerjam was our connection. He ended up passing away so I stopped playing. It’s been a few years now and I’m finally ready to play again and …… bummer, no more boxerjam. I realize everything in this lifetime is temporary, but it’s still a bummer.

  24. i miss out of order,i wish boxerjam can come back.the best games were on there, i miss out of order.

  25. Strike a Match. Napoleon. Out of Order. WONDERFUL GAMES!!!! What has no other server recreated these?

  26. My husband showed me Boxerjam 20 years ago and I loved it the first time I played the games. I played everyday! Miss it so much!

  27. The first computer game I ever played was Boxerjam’s Strike A Match. I 5hought it was incredible!! I really enjoyed all the games but I think it is gone forever.
    Mourning is the essential word here. Every six months I look for it but nothing out there.

  28. It’s 2020, and I am here looking up BoxerJam games. My sister and I played these games all the time. They were great! I miss them. I cannot believe no one has tried to recreate them (I wonder if the owners would consent.)!
    I was Allacra or Velouria

  29. Ohhhh, here we are in 2021 and this thread brought back feelings for me. Strike A Match, Know It All, Out of Order, Napoleon. Oh, those were the best. All these years later, I still miss them.

  30. Oh sweet Boxerjam! How I miss thee…I cannot count the ways! Strike a Match was my fav. Nobody seems to know why they were removed, especially since they were so successful or why they can’t be brought back??? In this day and age anything can happen!!! Please let me know..I miss it so very much even after all these years and it’s nice to know I am not alone…

  31. It’s been years and I STILL MISS BOXERJAM games. I associate them with fun, escapism and relaxing. Strike a Match was my favorite.

    Someone please bring them back!

  32. I loved playing many of the games in Boxerjam, but my most favorite game was Napoleon. I miss not only playing the game, but I miss the online friends I made during those years. We had fun together, and we also supported each other with sharing our problems.
    Wishing the game would have been continued.
    Jackie

Leave a Reply to Debbie Zuniga Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *