# The Game (and explaining why you just lost it)
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847
**Category:** The Game Room
**Created:** [August 18, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847 "2014-08-18T18:21:50Z")
**Posts on this page:** 14
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2014, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/1 "2014-08-18T18:21:50Z")
So there’s this thing called The Game that you may have heard about. Mostly by ways of people telling you that you just lost it.
I decided to make this thread in case anyone doesn’t already know or understand what it’s all about and the rules of it.
Most of you probably already know how to play and what it entails…but _I_ only learned about it a few months ago, after wondering what the hell it was for the longest time. And so, just in case there’s anyone out there (like me) who still doesn’t know, here’s what it’s about.
It’s actually very simple. There is only one rule of The Game…and that is:
1. You must NOT THINK about The Game as long as possible.
Yes, you read that right. You are winning The Game as long as you’re not thinking about it. So, yeah, that means you’re obviously winning The Game _MOST_ of the time.
…But every so often someone will come along and mention The Game by name, thus why they usually say “You just lost The Game”. See, because they mentioned it and you’re hearing/reading the words, that means you’re probably being REMINDED of it and, thus, thinking about it at that very second. Therefore, you lost it.
But fear not…for you can always start winning it again by forgetting about that moment and not thinking about The Game again (usually in a few minutes).
Although right now is not one of those moments, because you already lost it again by reading this topic or even by just seeing the title.
Until the time you receive your next loss, may your consecutive hours of winning be grand.
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2014, 6:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/2 "2014-08-18T18:31:31Z")
I’m dyslexic, so I just lost The Mage.
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### Author:  [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2014, 6:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/3 "2014-08-18T18:32:38Z")
[Helpful link](http://xkcd.com/391/).
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### Author:  [@Suburban\_Plankton](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Suburban_Plankton)
#### Post date: [August 18, 2014, 8:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/4 "2014-08-18T20:08:09Z")
I like cheese. Cheese is good.
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### Author:  [@Max\_the\_Immortal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_the_Immortal)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 12:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/5 "2014-08-28T12:38:04Z")
It’s not a loss if someone else reminds you about The Game.
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### Author:  [@Ethilrist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ethilrist)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 2:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/6 "2014-08-28T14:13:15Z")
I’ve been wondering about this. I always figured it was probably a pretty dumb game. Guess I was right.
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### Author:  [@Little\_Nemo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Little_Nemo)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 2:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/7 "2014-08-28T14:47:50Z")
Dammit. The OP broke my lifelong winning streak.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/8 "2014-08-28T15:41:13Z")
You’ve explained how I can lose the game- now tell me how I can win?
And who am I playing against?
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### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/9 "2014-08-28T16:10:33Z")
It’s like golf - since the goal is to keep as low a score as possible, you will never be as good as you were before you took up the game.
I win.
Regards,
Shodan
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### Author:  [@etv78](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/etv78)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 4:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/10 "2014-08-28T16:17:21Z")
Is it like “Fight Club”?
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### Author:  [@Inner\_Stickler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inner_Stickler)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 4:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/11 "2014-08-28T16:19:50Z")
> [@astorian](#):
>
> You’ve explained how I can lose the game- now tell me how I can win?
>
> And who am I playing against?
You can’t and everyone else in the world.
Really, its only utility is as a prank. Get a bunch of post its and write “You Lost the Game” on them and hide in inconspicuous places, like 3/4ths of the way through a book someone’s reading or underneath the plastic bag in a box of cereal and wait for someone to find it. This is a game best played as a high school student or drunk.
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### Author:  [@buddha\_david](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/buddha_david)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/12 "2014-08-28T17:05:44Z")
The only winners are people who don’t get the joke.
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### Author:  [@Elendil\_s\_Heir](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Elendil_s_Heir)
#### Post date: [August 28, 2014, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/13 "2014-08-28T17:23:55Z")
Aaaaaand I just lost.
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### Author:  [@Dead\_Cat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dead_Cat)
#### Post date: [August 29, 2014, 11:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-game-and-explaining-why-you-just-lost-it/695847/14 "2014-08-29T11:15:43Z")
> [@Max\_the\_Immortal](#):
>
> It’s not a loss if someone else reminds you about The Game.
I’ve always played that it is - if you realise you have lost the game, you have to immediately announce it, whereupon everyone else in earshot also loses the game. There is then a grace period of a few minutes before the game starts up again, in order to allow everyone to forget about it.
Yes, it is silly, yes it is a high-school level “game”, but still amusing on occasion. Like a lot of games, it’s only fun if you take the rules seriously.