I just lost the game.The game is a mental game that consists of a few simple rules:  1. If you know about the game, then you’re playing the game. 2. If you think about the game, then you lose the game.3. If you lose the game, then you must announce, “I just lost the game,”  thereby causing anyone in your vicinity to lose the game as well. 4. There is a 30-minute grace period that allows you to forget about the game, thus starting the cycle over. 5. You are always playing the game. So, welcome to the game that never ends. I began playing two years ago during spring break when some of my friends lost the game and subsequently introduced me to it. At first, I thought it was stupid, and I didn’t think it would last past the trip. But once I returned to normal life, I found myself randomly thinking about the game and ultimately losing it. Each time I would lose, I would have to explain the game to whomever was around me. Most of the time, my friends would think it was stupid and a waste of time, and we would just continue whatever we were doing.As more of my friends knew about the game, losing the game became more frequent. Even people who swore they would never play the game would remember the game and lose it. This past spring break, I met a guy from New Jersey who also played the game, which I found intriguing. If some random kid from New Jersey played the game, how many other people do too?”The Game” has more than 500 group pages on Facebook, its own Wikipedia page and its own website, www.losethegame.com, which claims that more than  1.5 million people are playing the game around the world. The rules vary slightly according to each source. Some players have shorter grace periods after a loss. Others believe that everyone in the world is playing the game, not just those who know about it. But the basic theme is the same: If you think about the game, you lose the game.  The origin of the game is unknown, but Jonty Haywood created www.losethegame.com, which explains the basic rules, offers strategies and sells clothes and accessories promoting the game. The mission of his website is to get the entire world to actively play the game. They have designated Oct. 10, 2010, as “Lose the Game Day” in hopes the entire world will lose the game by midnight. 
As ambitious as this is, it’s very unlikely to happen. There is no way that the entire world, a  population of more than 6.6 billion people, will ever know about the game.  With some people intentionally refusing to play the game, it makes it more difficult to achieve a world loss.  Because of the rules of the game, even if the whole world lost, it would still continue.  A few theories suggest there are ways for the game to end. According to www.losethegame.com, some players believe that the game will end if the British Prime Minister, the Queen of England or the Pope publicly announce they have lost the game. First, that will never happen. Secondly, shouldn’t they play another game like “Solve Global Warming” or “Create World Peace”?  Another theory is that Chuck Norris is the only person in the entire world who can win the game and once he wins, the game is over. I knew he had talents, but this is a whole different level, even for Chuck Norris. The idea of a never-ending mind game may seem annoying and ridiculous, but I know one thing, it’s addictive, even if you try to resist. I tried to forget and I claimed I wouldn’t play, but it didn’t work. I just lost the game again. And so did you. —
Contact Brittany Davis at [email protected]