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footnotes = Theoretically, The Game is always in progress and everybody in the world is a player.}}
footnotes = Theoretically, The Game is always in progress and everybody in the world is a player.}}


'''The Game''' is an ongoing [[mind game]], the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself. Thinking about The Game constitutes a loss, which, according to the rules of The Game, must then be announced. How to win The Game is not defined in the rules; players can only attempt to avoid losing for as long as possible. The Game has been described alternately as pointless and infuriating, or as a challenging game that is fun to play.<ref name="canpress"/> As of 2008, The Game is played by millions worldwide.<ref name="metro">{{cite news|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?If_you_read_this_youve_lost_The_Game&in_article_id=430703&in_page_id=34|title=If you read this you have lost the game|work=The Metro|date=2008-12-05}}</ref><ref name="canpress" /><ref name="nebraskan">{{cite news|url=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/03/19/ArtsEntertainment/Mind-Game.Enlivens.Students.Across.U.s-2779474.shtml|title=Mind game enlivens students across U.S.|work=The Daily Nebraskan|first=Andy|last=Boyle|date=2007-03-19}}</ref><ref name="demorgen" /><ref name="depers" />
'''The Game''' is an ongoing [[mind game]], the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself. Thinking about The Game constitutes a loss, which, according to the rules of The Game, must then be announced.(As in right now, you just lost the game) How to win The Game is not defined in the rules; players can only attempt to avoid losing for as long as possible. The Game has been described alternately as pointless and infuriating, or as a challenging game that is fun to play.<ref name="canpress"/> As of 2008, The Game is played by millions worldwide.<ref name="metro">{{cite news|url=http://www.metro.co.uk/news/article.html?If_you_read_this_youve_lost_The_Game&in_article_id=430703&in_page_id=34|title=If you read this you have lost the game|work=The Metro|date=2008-12-05}}</ref><ref name="canpress" /><ref name="nebraskan">{{cite news|url=http://media.www.dailynebraskan.com/media/storage/paper857/news/2007/03/19/ArtsEntertainment/Mind-Game.Enlivens.Students.Across.U.s-2779474.shtml|title=Mind game enlivens students across U.S.|work=The Daily Nebraskan|first=Andy|last=Boyle|date=2007-03-19}}</ref><ref name="demorgen" /><ref name="depers" />


== Gameplay ==
== Gameplay ==

Revision as of 15:56, 28 April 2009

The Game
A player announcing her loss of The Game
Setup timeNone
Playing timeOngoing
ChanceChance encounters with others losing The Game could cause your own loss
SkillsThought suppression, Strategy
Theoretically, The Game is always in progress and everybody in the world is a player.

The Game is an ongoing mind game, the objective of which is to avoid thinking about The Game itself. Thinking about The Game constitutes a loss, which, according to the rules of The Game, must then be announced.(As in right now, you just lost the game) How to win The Game is not defined in the rules; players can only attempt to avoid losing for as long as possible. The Game has been described alternately as pointless and infuriating, or as a challenging game that is fun to play.[1] As of 2008, The Game is played by millions worldwide.[2][1][3][4][5]

Gameplay

Rules

There are three rules to The Game:[2][1][6][7][8]

  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,"[4] or alternatively, "You are always playing The Game.")
  2. Whenever one thinks about The Game, one loses.
  3. Losses must be announced to at least one person[6] (a statement such as "I lost The Game" is often used[citation needed]).

Some players allow a grace period of up to half an hour after someone has lost, during which a player cannot lose The Game again, or is not obliged to announce a loss.[1] According to the common rules, The Game is never ending. However, one variation of The Game ends when the British Prime Minister announces "The Game is up" on television.[6]

Strategies

Some players have developed strategies for making other people lose, such as writing about The Game on hidden notes, as graffiti, and on banknotes.[4][5]

Origin

The origins of The Game are uncertain. One theory is that when two men missed their last train and had to spend the whole night on a platform, they tried not to think about their situation and whoever did first, lost.[2] Another is that it was invented in London in 1996 "to annoy people". The reported earliest known reference on the Internet is from 2002.[1] The Game is an example of ironic processing, also known as the Pink Elephant Phenomenon, in which attempts to avoid certain thoughts make those thoughts more persistent.[9] A classic example of ironic processing is Dostoevsky's quote: “Try to pose for yourself this task: not to think of a polar bear, and you will see that the cursed thing will come to mind every minute.”

See also

Cultural phenomena:

Other unconventional games:

References

  1. ^ a b c d e Montgomery, Shannon (2008-01-17). "Teens around the world are playing 'the game'". The Canadian Press.
  2. ^ a b c "If you read this you have lost the game". The Metro. 2008-12-05.
  3. ^ Boyle, Andy (2007-03-19). "Mind game enlivens students across U.S." The Daily Nebraskan.
  4. ^ a b c Verelst, Jeroen (2007-03-15). "The Game, het eenvoudigste spel ter wereld" (Subscription required). De Morgen (in Dutch). p. 2.
  5. ^ a b Rooseboom, Sanne (2008-12-15). "Nederland gaat nu ook verliezen". De Pers.
  6. ^ a b c "The three rules of the game". The Metro. 2008-12-05.
  7. ^ "Don't think about the game" (Subscription required). Rutland Herald. 2007-10-03.
  8. ^ Wettschreck, Justine (2008-05-31). "Playing 'The Game' with the other kids" (Subscription required). Daily Globe (Worthington).
  9. ^ Kaniewski, Katie (1 March 2009). "You just lost the Game". Los Angeles Loyolan. Retrieved 2009-03-27.