Atheists/skeptics, explain this please?

I am a skeptic and I am highly interested by Ouija Boards. I have never used one and don't plan to, but I have hear many stories.

They say that the explanation for Ouija boards is the "odometer effect", when you move things subconsciously. They say if you blindfold the participants and get them to ask the board questions, the answers come out as gibberish.

I don't know how true or not they are, but here's some food for thought: a very reliable source once told me that he played the game with some friends. he did not touch the indicator, instead he only asked questions that ONLY he would know. the indicator (which was being touched by his friends, not him), nevertheless splat out the correct answers (these weren't just "yes" or "no" questions)

How would you answer this (nib4 "your friend is lying")?

And what explanation would you have for the Ouija Board?

People who believe in Ouija boards need not answer.

"How would you answer this (nib4 "your friend is lying")?"

There are many ways to be deluded that do not involve conscious lying (although it is a strong possibility). Psychological biases always should be taken into account.

It is all subconscious hoopla.

I'm assuming some of the questions were answered incorrectly as well.

They don't predict or answer anything.

Personally I have no idea. But given that it's a single case, and I don't know the questions, answers, participants or anything else than the rough outline you've given us here, I can't give any real insights, explanations or analysis.

His friends probably knew more about him than he thought, or they were lucky guesses. The Ouija boards do not work, I've spent years manipulating people into believing in them though. It's insanely easy to do, barely took any effort on my part, actually. No spirits involved, though, just a basic understanding of how to manipulate the human mind.

Clever Hans effect. The person who knew the 'correct' answer would have to be absent during the session for the results to be valid.

Look, you may not want to hear it, but your friend is taking you for a ride. Either that, or his friends are pretty talented con men.

If you are really fascinated by this, why don't you repeat the experiment with yourself as the blindfolded one? Ask a question that you can be sure no one else knows the answer to. And make sure you get a specific answer. In fact make up a random sequence of letters and numbers and ask the Ouija boarders to list it exactly in order. I guarantee you they blow it completely.

Your friend isn't a reliable source.

I'm sorry to say, but he is probably lying. Ouija boards can not contact the dead, or spirits, and even if they could, how in hell would they know the answers? When you become a spirit, do you just gain all the knowledge of everything ever?

WTH does atheism have to do with this?

Ouija boards are mass produced on an assembly line like any other board game. there's no 'magic powers' to them. no more so than a McDonald's happy meal toy!
the subconscious however is very powerful and controls everything else. it decides what your conscious awareness 'knows'.

Ouija Boards are pieces of cardboard with fancy printing that come in a box with a plastic pointer, no more and no less.

Personal accounts are notoriously unreliable. Think about how many billions of times a day people have experiences they misinterpret and just flat out exaggerate or lie about. Ouija boards are a game made by a game company. If you've read about the odometer effect you have the rational answer. The path you take is your choice.

Why would spirits use a kids' toy as a conduit for speaking to the living? It just doesn't make sense.

Your friend probably got caught up in the moment and thought the indicator was moving on its own.

Your friend's personal testimony is not evidence, it's anecdote.