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The earliest known mention of The Game on the internet was made by theaardvark on the 10th August 2002 (source).

Okay, I'm gonna tell you about 'The Game'. I have no idea where or when this started. I found out about it online about 6 months ago. I'd quite like to know the origins of 'The Game' because it is intensely irritating.
Firstly, a disclaimer - anyone who decides to join 'The Game' cannot blame me for any psychological damage caused
Okay, there is only one rule to 'The Game' - if you think about the game, you lose. When you lose you have to declare it; you have to say out loud "I lost". Once you've said that, anyone else playing the game around you will lose and will have to declare it too.
Once you've forgotten about 'The Game' you stop losing.
As I am telling you about 'The Game' I have lost and so are you because you're thinking about 'The Game'. But you will go away and forget about 'The Game' and you will stop losing. Until someone says something or you see something that makes you think of 'The Game'.

John Harrison (Mellow & Mellowtrax, creator of justlost.co.uk which is no longer running) replies. He later clarifies that he was told by a girl called Zet in 1998 in Buckinghamshire, UK. (source & email)

techno teacher replies "I've been playing the game for years (learnt it on Mixmag.net in about 99), and it features at www.maggiethatcher.com/game.html" (archive.org suggests that mixmag.net was not set up until 2001 (source))

This is a game that was taught to me and is really addictive and annoying. THIS GAME WAS TAUGHT TO ME IN 1998. It's complicated so bear with me. Full rules will be posted at www.lostcat.tk - You are currently winning the game, because you don't yet know it. I am losing because I am thinking about the game. As soon as you think about the game you have lost, and must say out loud 'I have just lost'. You are winning until you think about the game. I was winning for 8 hours once until I saw a soccer match which made me think about 'The game', and so I lost. If other people remember the game and shout out 'I just lost', it'll probably make you lose too, which is annoying if you've lasted 3 hours! So next time you think about this game, shout out 'I just lost', and see how long it was you were winning for. This game is annoying so pass it on to your friends and get them playing too. (Damn, I just lost, again!)

Eight days later it is posted by Kuavea at http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/alabaster/A807068

WARNING: READING THIS ARTICLE AUTOMATICALLY CAUSES YOU TO BEGIN PLAYING THE GAME...ONCE YOU HAVE BEGUN YOU WILL NEVER BE ABLE TO STOP AND IT WILL ANNOY YOU FOREVER!!!!!

For those of you who are intrigued...read on...

The Game is very simple, you have lost when you have remembered you are playing. There are a few small rules to observe to get maximum satisfaction from playing the game, these are:

1) When you lose the game you have to inform people by saying 'I've just lost the game', or words to that effect, many people succeed in coming up with very 'colourful' phrases!

2) When someone has just said they've lost the game and therefore reminded you, you haven't lost, however, if they were talking about another game that they've lost, you have.

3) You can't lose within 20 minutes of last having remembered the game.

Happy playing, though within a few weeks you will hate this game so much!