The Left Right Game is an urban legend and internet-based horror story. It revolves around a seemingly simple driving game with increasingly supernatural and terrifying consequences. It began with a series of posts on the r/nosleep subreddit by user NeonTempo, titled “Has Anyone Heard of the Left/Right Game?”.
Plot Summary of the Original Story:
The posts chronicle the experiences of a protagonist named Alice Sharman, a journalist who undertakes the Left Right Game and documents the increasingly strange and terrifying events she encounters. Alice joins up with a team of paranormal investigators, led by Rob Guthard, shares his knowledge of the game’s rules and potential dangers. This is uncharted territory where the rules of reality become increasingly blurred. Alternate dimensions, ghostly apparitions, and mysterious entities nothing is off limits in this realm. The psychological impacts on the characters adds to the suspense, who must confront their deepest fears and uncertainties.
What are the rules for the Left Right Game?
The premise of the Left Right Game is straightforward: the player drives a car and follows a specific set of rules at intersections. At every turnable road, they must alternate between turning left and turning right. The game can be played with multiple people in multiple cars.
- Choose any starting location.
- At each intersection or turnable road, alternate turns:
- First turn: left
- Second turn: right
- Third turn: left
- Fourth turn: right
- And so on... Continue this pattern.
Usually, nothing happens, dead-ends. But sometimes, “The Road” appears.
How Do You Play The Left Right Game?
The game begins with the driver taking a left, then the road on the right, then a possible road on the left, and repeat until the player winds up somewhere new. Theoretically, this continues until the player/driver reaches either a dead-end or a tunnel. A dead-end is just that, start again if you like. Reaching a tunnel means you’re on “The Road” and the game has only just begun. Keep in mind, this also means your moves (turns) have real consequences.
As you may have guessed, those traveling on the Road are no longer in this world, they’re in a world parallel to ours, with its own rules, its own physics. It’s not simply full of strange, paranormal experiences – it’s full of various dangers that threaten the survival of participants. There are obstacles along the Road, you must stay the course and follow very specific rules.
As you encounter more and more bizarre and otherworldly phenomena, it starts to seem the Road itself may even alive. Some kind of supernatural entity, manipulating each scenario in response to those traveling it. The longer you remain, the more time seems to bend. Things seem to take less time, or last longer than they should. Hunger dwindles away. Perhaps you just feel sated longer, or food isn’t needed in this world? Battery-life and car fuel lasts an unnaturally long time. It’s as if replenishment of any kind is simply no longer needed.
Has anyone heard of the Left/Right Game? Podcast Adaptation:
The Left Right Game was adapted into an audio drama podcast by QCode, with Tessa Thompson starring as Alice Sharman. The podcast expands on the original story, adding more depth to the characters and the eerie events they experience. Amazon won a bidding war back in 2020 and now has rights to adapt it to a TV show.
The Left Right Game itself, is a simple, yet intriguing premise. It taps into the thrill of the unknown and the supernatural. Combined with its detailed and suspenseful storytelling, has made it a popular and enduring piece of internet horror lore. The upcoming Amazon TV series is something we can all look forward to.
For now, read the original story on Reddit and listen to the full Podcast adaptation available on YouTube
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