If you are reading this page, you have just lost. Although it does not include digital graphics, complicated scenarios or even real rules, The Game (in Italian "il Gioco") has millions of players all over the world. Born online, today the Game is banned from some forums where it has spread like wildfire. The rules? The foundation of the Game is not thinking about the Game. Welcome to the absurd, exciting and frustrating world of The Game.
Steps
Part 1 of 2: Getting familiar with the Idea
Step 1. Learn the three basic rules of the Game
The Game is extremely simple and incredibly complex at the same time. And then, if you are still reading, you have lost again. The rules of the Game are as follows:
- In the world, everyone is playing the Game, whether they are aware of it or not.
- If you think about the Game, you have lost the Game. You lose even if you try desperately not to think about the Game, if someone tells you they lost the Game, or if your mind lingers on the Game for a split second. If you think about it, you have lost.
- Once you have lost, you must announce that you have lost. You can shout it out loud and clear, use the Internet, write it, or use any other method you want. Announcing that you have lost is the only way to keep playing the Game.
Step 2. Give up the idea of being able to win
Nobody can win the Game, you can just avoid losing, or try to make other people lose by spreading news about the Game. If you play the Game to win, you are doomed to fail. If you play the Game to lose, well… congratulations!
Step 3. Find out the background of the psychology of the Game
The psychological phenomenon that describes the inverse relationship between the desire not to think about something and the recurrence of that thought in the mind is called an "ironic process". In other words, the more you want to stop thinking about the Game, the more you will think about the Game.
- In these cases we also speak of the "white bear phenomenon", to quote Tolstoy, or the "pink elephant phenomenon". The very decision not to think about something will make you think about that something.
- The ironic process was used to achieve the hilarious effect in the first "Ghostbusters," in which Ghostbusters are told that whatever they think about, it will appear to destroy them. Despite trying to clear the mind, someone thinks of the Stay Puft Marshmallow Man appearing, in the form of a monster, ready to destroy Manhattan.
Step 4. Consider adding some variations to the rules of the Game, to make it beatable
Some people play the Game slightly differently, giving players a "grace period" after a defeat before they can lose again, or they are allowed not to announce a defeat for a certain amount of time. This period of time can vary from a few seconds to half an hour or even more. If you and your friends are challenging each other in the Game, you can set rules for victory.
According to some, the Game ends with death, while others argue that the Game will end when the British Prime Minister, the President of the United States or the Pope announces on TV that he has lost. Still others believe that the Game will end when someone takes off the pope's hat
Part 2 of 2: Acquiring the Strategies
Step 1. Get as much attention to the Game as possible
Anyone you talk to about the Game automatically loses the Game. Go around in public, with a t-shirt or a sign that says "I lost at the game". Explain the rules of the Game to people, force them to discover the existence of the Game and at the same time make them lose the Game.
Even if it is not against the rules (there are only three rules in the Game), remember that in some forums this technique is not accepted. Since the Game has spread enormously in some areas, talking about it all the time can be annoying. Discuss the Game with caution
Step 2. When you lose, you must always announce it
Exclaiming "I lost the Game" also serves to remind those around you of the existence of the Game, making them lose automatically, and giving rise to a frustrating chain of defeats. It usually happens at random intervals. You can verbally announce that you have lost, or you can use your imagination to find alternative and creative ways.
Step 3. Remind other players about the Game
If you start a Game, make it last as long as you want, and make the other players lose by reminding them of the Game as often as you can. Feed the vicious circle by trying to remember and inform other players about the Game whenever there is an opportunity.
- If you are in class, write and pass notes about the Game, announcing that you have lost. That way you don't need to shout it every ten minutes and you won't get in trouble. If you can't tell someone you lost right away, write them a note and pass it to them later, or stick it on their backpack. You can do this even with people you don't know.
- Write it on the blackboard, after asking the teacher's permission or even secretly. Don't overdo it, and only do it if you're sure the teacher doesn't mind. Anyone who looks in your direction will lose the Game.
- Publish an ad. While you will probably need approval, if you work in the school newspaper or are in contact with the media, find a way to mention the Game or something that is reminiscent of the Game.
Step 4. Write online posts about the Game
Find message boards, chat rooms or other meeting platforms and post Game statuses and updates. The more people learn about it, the more people will lose knowing they are losing. Also update your Facebook page with a simple message: “I just lost the game”.
Send emails to anyone you know, specifying "I lost at the game" in the title. Whenever you lose the Game, inform your entire contact list
Step 5. Try to think of something else
Give yourself a time limit to stop thinking about the Game. Depending on who your playmates are, you may have a specific amount of time to stop thinking about the Game, or it can be indefinite. It can be a minute or even an hour, but usually ten minutes are enough. In some places this rule doesn't apply.
- Since it is impossible not to voluntarily think about something, you can force yourself to voluntarily think about something else. For example, hum the text of a long and engaging rap song in your mind, or say a prayer over and over. Learn all the “Golf Ball” lines and review the whole movie in your head. Do whatever you want, except think about the Game.
- Read, or put on your headphones and stop listening to what others are saying. Concentrate all your energy on doing something else, thinking about something else, regardless of what is happening around you.
Step 6. Avoid "taunts" as much as possible
If you know that in a certain place you always lose at the Game, or if you know people who always look like someone who has lost at the Game, stay away from them. Keep in mind, though, that the thought process for doing this is likely to cause you to lose too.
Step 7. Never let your guard down
Knowledge of the Game is for everyone. If you start emailing or texting announcing that you have lost the Game, expect others to do the same. If something makes you suspicious, don't open it. Obviously, if you suspect that an email may contain a reference to the Game, it means that you are thinking about the Game and therefore you have lost. Good luck.
Advice
- Be creative. There are countless ways to announce to the world that you have lost the Game… come up with some that no one has ever used.
- Play the Game with more people. If you only play with one person, after a while you will automatically associate them with the Game, and you will think about the Game every time you meet them.
- Find out about all the variations of the Game that exist in your area by asking all those who already know the Game.
- You will always meet people who will refuse to admit that they are playing the Game or that they have lost. I'm in denial. Ignoral.
