Article: The Game is both infinitely simple and ridiculously complex. Also, you lost again, if you're still reading. The rules to the Game are as follows: Everyone in the world is playing the Game, whether they know it or not. If you think about the Game, you lose the Game. This includes things like desperately trying not to think about the Game, or being tipped off by anyone else talking about losing the Game, or any split-second that the Game randomly pops into your mind. You think about it, you lose. When you lose, you have to announce that you lost. It can be out loud, on the Internet, in writing, or in any number of other ways. Announcing your losses is the only way that the Game is played. Nobody ever wins the game, you can only avoid losing and attempt to make other people lose by spreading the word about the Game. If you're in the Game to win, you're going to lose. If you're in the Game to lose, congratulations! Ironic processing is the psychological phenomenon that describes the inverse relationship between a desire to avoid thoughts and the persistence of those thoughts. In other words, the more you want to stop thinking about the Game, the more you're thinking about the Game. This is also sometimes called the "white bear phenomenon," based on a reference in Tolstoy, or the "pink elephant phenomenon." The act of deciding to not think about something makes you think about something. Ironic processing was used to humorous effect in the first Ghostbusters movie, in which the Ghostbusters were told that whatever they thought of would come to destroy them. Despite attempts to clear their minds entirely, someone thinks of the Stay-Puff'd marshmallow man, who arrives in monster-form to destroy Manhattan. Some people play the Game slightly differently, giving players a grace period after losing before you can lose again, or are not required to announce it for a certain period of time. This time can range from a few seconds to half an hour or so. Others put restrictions on ways that a loss can be announced. If you're playing with some friends, decide on winnable rules, if you want. Some may say that death can also end the Game, while others say that the Game will end when the British Prime Minister, President of the United States, or the Pope says the Game is lost on national television. Still others believe that the Game can only be won when someone knocks the hat off the Pope.
What is a summary of what this article is about?
Learn the three basic rules of the Game. Give up the idea of winning. Learn about the background of Game psychology. Consider adding variations to the Game to make it winnable.