Just as you were getting to the bottom of the cartoon characters as profile pictures phenomenon, another odd trend rears its head on Facebook. This time out, it’s a bunch of numbers in users’ status updates. The reason behind them isn’t quite as grandiose as the cartoon characters’ attempt to end child abuse. The numbers are actually part of a game called, simply enough “The Number Game.”
It’s a goofy little game–in fact “game” seems like something of a charitable description of the whole thing. It’s more like passing one of those “Do You Like Me? []Yes []No [] Maybe” notes in class.
The rules are fitting simple. Send a friend a random number and they post a status update with their thoughts about you featuring it. Here’s an example from the game’s Facebook site,
Number sent to you: 21
Status: True friend; you’ve always been there and I’m grateful for our relationship!
Reads a bit like it’s been translated verbatim from another language, doesn’t it?
The Number Game’s organizers are making a big push to take the thing viral, and judging from all of the press it’s been getting, they’re doing a pretty good job with it.
