The Game is a viral psychological game that has haunted the internet since the early 2000s, though its origins likely date back to the late 1990s. The rules are deceptively simple: everyone in the world is playing, you cannot win, and the moment you think about The Game, you lose and must announce your loss. This self-perpetuating cycle made it one of the most persistent memes on early forums like 4chan and Reddit. It functions as a mental virus that spreads through social interaction, often popping up in unexpected image macros or comment sections specifically to break someone's long-term winning streak of not thinking about it.