Tag Archives: The Game

The Game

Nationality: American
Age: 21
Occupation: NA
Residence: California
Performance Date: 3 - 28 - 2020
Primary Language: English

Main Piece:

The following is transcribed from a conversation between the informant and the interviewer.

Interviewer: So tell me a little bit about “the Game”

Informant: well for starters, you just lost it haha

Interviewer: Basically the entire point of the game is to just not think about the game, so if you forget it you win. But any time you ever think of the game, you have to publicly announce it to the people around you so that they also lose the game. It’s pretty pointless but my friends have been playing for like 10 years at this point and it’s just a funny thing to bring up.

Background:

My Informant is a 21 year old male who has lived in California for over 20 years. He originally lived in Utah, but moved too early to remember it there. He has very liberal views and works a full time job. 

Context:

I talked to my informant over a phone call during the coronavirus epidemic. 

Thoughts:

I think its cool how a seemingly unimportant game that was played in elementary school can not only spread across the entire country. But also last a lifetime for the people who actually know what it is. 

For more information about “the Game,” see https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/the-game

The Game

Nationality: American
Age: 26
Occupation: Student
Residence: Long Beach, California
Primary Language: English

“In high school, my friends and I were always playing The Game and messing with each other. Every time you think of The Game, you lose. So the only people always winning the game are the people who have never heard of it. I think that we liked the irony and parodoxical nature of The Game. Also, school was really boring and The Game never stops. It’s endless entertainment. Except it’s also so infuriating. Most of the time when you’re actively playing The Game, you’re just trying to remind your friends that it exists to make them lose. It’s a game you play for other people as much as yourself.”

Context: The informant went to high school in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania and graduated in 2010. He learned this game online.

Interpretation: This game illustrates the idea that “ignorance is bliss.” The most successful players are those who do not know they are playing. It is also deeply ingrained in Internet culture, and is an excellent representation of the principle that people on the Internet do things “for the Lulz” alone rather than for some greater purpose. The goal of this game is to annoy one’s friends as much as it is to keep oneself from losing. Furthermore, it is an example of how games that start or spread mainly online can make their way into everyday life in-person.