The Game (Netzkultur)
The Game is an ongoing mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about the Game itself. Thinking about the Game constitutes loss, which, according to the rules of the Game, must then be announced. The Game is continuous—once a player stops thinking about the Game, they stop losing.
Rules
There are three main rules to the Game:[1]
- Everyone in the world is playing the Game. (Sometimes narrowed to: "Everybody in the world who knows about the Game, is playing the Game."[2], or alternatively, "You are always playing the game.")
- Whenever you think about The Game, you lose.
- Loss must be announced.
Variations
- There is a Grace Period. A period of time where a player can not lose The Game, after they have lost. This can range from just a few seconds to half an hour.[1]
Popularity
The Game is played by hundreds of thousands of players,[1] on the internet and in schools and universities in the United Kingdom, the United States,[3] Canada,[1] the Netherlands, Brazil, Australia, Japan and Belgium.[2] Some players have developed strategies for making other people lose, such as writing "The Game" in visible places or hiding notes for people to find.[2] The Game has been called pointless and has been known to infuriate some people.[1] The origins of the Game are unknown, although earlier examples of similar "games", such as the White Bear Phenomenon, have existed.
Internet culture
The webcomics Real Life[4] and xkcd[5] both have featured comics dedicated to the Game.
See also
References
- ↑ a b c d e Shannon Montgomery: Teens around the world are playing 'the game' In: The Daily Gleaner, 23. Januar 2008, S. D6
- ↑ a b c Jeroen Verelst: The Game, het eenvoudigste spel ter wereld (Subscription required) In: De Morgen, 15. März 2007, S. 2 (dutch).
- ↑ Andy Boyle: Mind game enlivens students across U.S. In: The Daily Nebraskan, 19. März 2007
- ↑ Dean, Greg. Real Life, 2007-09-24
- ↑ Munroe, Randall. xkcd, 391