Fragment 18.

18. On my 6th birthday, I had a party and invited some of my friends. As the day wore on, I became anxious that they might have nothing to do, so I decided to invent a game for them to play. The game consisted of six stages, located around different points throughout the garden. The aim of the game was that you were to guess the meaning of each stage before you could pass along to the next one. The game required group participation in order to operate, but seeing as how we were only six years old this was in short supply. Twenty two years on however, and I still think the premise of the game has some merit. To update it, I will refer to each stage as a Phase;

In Phase 1, being given no clue as to the objective of the game, but aware that other phases must follow, the participants are forced to conclude that the objective of the game is to understand the meaning, or inherent value of each phase.

In Phase 2, when again faced with an insufferable lack of information, the participants must assume that the phases have entirely no meaning, except that which they themselves, as participants, attribute to it.

In Phase 3, while again faced with a stoicly empty platform, the participates must graciously assume that while no meaning or purpose to the game exists, they might as well just get on with it.

Phase 4; Acceptance (the game has no meaning).

Phase 5; Novelty. Bored participants may decide to make up their own game to alleviate their crushing boredom. This would be called a game within a game.

Phase 6; Denial and rebellion; lack of regard for the game. Outcome; the game never ends.

By denying the game, or without acknowledging that you have won and that the game is over, the game continues forever. This means that you have lost the Game.