The Game

### Description:

**The Game** is one large level composed of a series of sub-levels arranged into a "game" for the wanderer to partake in, with the prize at the end seeming to be a safe haven. Although relatively well-hidden, it is primarily accessed from areas where a certain poster is attached, advertising The Game.

The sub-levels are as follows:

### Press Start:

**“Press Start”** is the first area of The Game that wanderers will find themselves in, serving as the point of entry into the rest of the level. It is a dark room with a perimeter of approximately 400 square feet, lacking doors and windows. The entirety of the room is painted a dark shade of purple, with a black light and glow-in-the-dark shapes tacked on the walls as the only source of light. Within the center of the room is an arcade machine, with the words "Press Start!" written on the top of the cabinet. The machine’s exact appearance varies between those who enter the level, with different buttons, joysticks, and other controls.

Upon approaching the arcade machine, it will automatically boot up, emitting a sound resembling a desktop iMac start-up. Approximately one minute from the beginning of the machine's boot sequence, it will have finished loading. The screen will display information to the wanderer akin to a Terms of Service agreement, with the option to accept or deny. The information reads as follows:

I may not know exactly why you are here, but I can think of a few reasons. Perhaps you have been screwed over in some way, and you are looking for a second chance to get your life together. It may be that you have come to seek fortune unlike what has ever been witnessed by humankind before. Or perhaps you may just be participating for the thrill, and you love a good challenge whenever you find one.

What matters is that you have found one of the flyers I have scattered about the Backrooms, and have taken up my offer. Ahead of you is a grueling game that will test your skill, wit, and every last thing you have ever learned. Do not take the upcoming challenge lightly or play foul, as those who do will face harsh consequences. Only the most worthy will make their way to the end of this game and obtain the prize I have chosen to offer.

For those who are ready to play, good luck, you're going to need it.

Selecting "Deny" will transport the wanderer to the previous level they were in. Selecting "Accept" will transport the wanderer to The Stage, equipped with a switch to "pause" the game.

### The Stage:

**“The Stage”** is a large maze, the layout of which is always structured uniquely for the wanderer(s) within it. This maze consists of wooden carpeted hallways, similar to those in Level 427, with arcade machines scattered throughout. This part of the level serves as the actual "game" that the wanderer must partake in. Various items are strewn about the maze, which wanderers may use to their advantage, especially to defend themselves from the hostile entities they will encounter. At the center of the maze is a unique entity known as **The Boss**, which the wanderer must kill in order to reach the exit. Within this area, wanderers are given "three lives" – meaning they are allowed to die twice, but if they die for a third time, they will be transported to Game Over. If needed, they may temporarily transport themselves to Game Paused for a brief break before returning to the game. Attempts to exploit or tamper with the game in any way will banish the wanderer to You Cheated. However, if the wanderer successfully kills The Boss and reaches the exit, they will be transported to You Win, having beaten the game.

### Game Paused:

**“Game Paused”** is a room similar to that within Press Start, which wanderers will be temporarily transported to when they use the switch given to them at the start of the game. It takes the appearance of a dark waiting room, complete with a table with magazines and a bottle of Almond Water. The wanderer's items will remain in The Stage where they were last left prior to pausing. This area may only be accessed up to three times throughout the game, for up to ten minutes at a time – after which the switch will disappear.

### You Cheated:

**“You Cheated”** is a detainment zone within The Game which those deemed "cheaters" are held prisoner. It lies "out of bounds" of The Stage, and thus is not normally accessible unless one "cheats" – typically by attempting to exploit or tamper with some aspect of The Game. The area itself is a small blank room, with an ajar doorway leading into darkness. Beyond the doorway is a more dangerous and hazardous version of the maze from The Stage. All the arcade machines will display the text: ***Nobody likes a cheater.***

It should be noted that, after certain periods of the wanderer's time in this area, it undergoes changes.

After five minutes, small pieces of the ceiling will collapse and some hostile entities will begin appearing.

After ten minutes, the rate of changes will increase significantly. Large portions of the ceiling will collapse (often directly above the wanderer), and the walls will also begin to collapse. This allows the hostile entities present in this area to locate the wanderer more easily.

After twenty minutes, most of the electronics will spontaneously combust and set aflame, with the resulting fires quickly engulfing most of the area.

At the thirty-minute mark, the remaining light sources within the area will explode, plunging it into complete darkness. Any fire in this area will continue to exist, but will no longer emit light, making it impossible to see. If the wanderer is still in the first room by this point, they will have one minute to cross the doorway before the room and everything in it disintegrates.

If the wanderer manages to survive for an entire hour, they will be given an arcade token, and their final task is to put it into an arcade cabinet. Doing so will transport the wanderer to the level they were previously in prior to The Game, but they will be disqualified from ever being able to play the game again – unable to re-enter the level. It is unknown what happens beyond one hour.

### Game Over:

**“Game Over”** is the area that wanderers are sent to after dying three times within The Game. It consists of a series of abandoned hallways that lead to nowhere, sparsely populated with hostile entities. Rooms of a wide variety may occasionally be found in this area, ranging from abandoned bedrooms, living rooms, offices, etc. These rooms usually have supplies, though they are equally likely to house hostile entities as well.

Upon entering this level, wanderers will find the Game Creator standing before them. Her demeanor will vary depending on how well the game was played. If time and effort was put into it, relative to the wanderer's skill, there will be a higher chance of encountering an exit to the level the wanderer was previously in before entering The Game. However, if the Game Creator determines that the wanderer did not put enough effort into the game, she will abandon them, leaving them in this area to find for themselves.

There is, however, a third possibility. If a wanderer was able to recover an arcade token hidden somewhere in The Stage, they may present it to the Game Creator and be granted one extra life, with no progress lost in their game. They will thus respawn where they last died in The Stage.

If The Game is explored with a group, Game Over will be experienced differently. Those who end up here will be kept in holding cells until/unless everyone in the group loses all 3 lives, at which point they will experience this area the same as individual wanderers. It is unknown what else happens to those within the holding cells if part of the group still remains alive.

### You Win!:

**“You Win!”** is the final area of The Game, accessed only by defeating The Boss and reaching the exit of The Stage. It is a singular 11-story building, seemingly in the middle of nowhere. Upon entering this level, wanderers will find themselves in a series of fully furnished unoccupied bedrooms, similar to those in a hotel, on the top floor. Further exploration will reveal an elevator which grants access to the lower floors of this area, each vastly different from the top one.

* The tenth floor is an office space, without any noteworthy features.
* The ninth floor is a computer lab filled with self-repairing computer terminals, though they seem to be permanent fixtures of this area thus cannot be removed. Most information about The Game has come from those who have uploaded reports to the database from these computers.
* The eighth floor is a movie theater, which may play a wide variety of movies from any point in time in any reality. A flat screen TV display on the left side of the room that has a list of scheduled movies, and to the right is a snack bar. Entities and wanderers may be seen watching movies on this floor.
* The seventh floor is a dark lounge area where wanderers and non-hostile entities may relax, though it is advised not to make too much noise.
* The sixth floor is a Glowfolk-run night club. The clubgoers are quite nice, willing to provide food and liquids to wanderers. However, if one causes too much of a disturbance, they may be defenestrated by a Red Glowfolk.
* The fifth floor is a makeshift food court run by facelings, each with their own distinct restaurant.
* The fourth floor is a dining area where those who order food from the fifth floor may eat it. Purple Glowfolk may be found playing card games.
* The third floor consists of a supermarket that is fully functional and stocked with fresh supplies. Wanderers may also retrieve their favorite item from The Stage here.
* The second floor is a gift shop run by Facelings, who will give you an item for free if you get them food from the fifth floor.
* The first floor, the very bottom of the building, is the lobby. It is a common area, where people can hang out, relax, and talk.

### Entrances and Exits:

#### Entrances:

* Finding a poster advertising The Game.
* Losing a game on an arcade machine in Level 399.
* Noclipping into an electronic screen.

#### Exits:

* Selecting "Decline" on the arcade machine in Press Start will bring you back to the previous level you were in.
* Escaping You Cheated will bring you back to the previous level you were in, but you will be prevented from re-entering.
* Being judged by the Game Creator to have played a good game in Game Over will send you back to the previous level you were in, with the ability to re-enter in the future.
* Noclipping into a chair on the fifth floor of You Win will lead to Level 6.1.
* A wooden door on the first floor of You Win with a sign that says "Goodbye" will lead to The Hub.