Sometimes the only way to win is to lose.
Such is the case in the flash game, Give Up, a fun little platformer that puts you in the shoes of a test subject being forced to do a rigorous obstacle course for the amusement of a computer, named Tasselfoot.
In Give Up, the player needs to navigate the same course over and over, with slight modifications to the course each time you pass a level. The levels seem easy at first, but they quickly become more and more difficult, with spikes, turrets, lasers and rockets blocking my path. And each time I die, Tasselfoot reminds me I can end the madness by clicking a big blue button at the bottom of the screen, with two words on it: Give Up.
The game rapidly becomes even more difficult, and Tasselfoot becomes more and more sadistic with each death. My pride stops me from clicking the tempting blue glow of the button, but this level is near impossible. I’m not fast enough, and Tasselfoot’s needling is chipping away at my confidence. I can’t take it anymore. I click the big blue button, and feel horrible.