Freeware Shoot 'Em Up game for Windows and Mac made by alternative developer Zach Gage that plays something like Space Invaders, with one big difference — if you shoot an alien, the game permanently (it completely skips the recycle bin!) deletes a file from your computer. If you collide with an alien, the game deletes itself.
Amazingly, people actually have played this and enjoy it (the high score is something like 412 files). We don't recommend playing this, though, unless you planned on reformatting your computer anyway note in which case have at it.
It's been labeled as malware by several antiviruses, though it technically isn't since malware does harm without permission.
No links, for obvious reasons. If you're really curious, just Google Lose/Lose for its site...and don't say we didn't warn you.
This... er, "game"... provides examples of:
- Collision Damage: It has Deletion as Punishment. Of the game itself.
- Deletion as Punishment: Zigzagged. You lose, the game deletes itself. As you win, the game starts deleting your other files — meaning that playing the game is also this trope in itself.
- Meaningful Name: It's a Lose/Lose situation — shoot the enemies, your files get deleted; crash into them, you lose and the game gets deleted.
- Nice Job Breaking It, Hero: By stopping the alien invasion, you delete important files from your hard drive.
- Permadeath: The game deletes itself if you die. You could redownload it, but that's completely missing the point.
- The Punishment Is the Crime: Playing this game itself is a punishment in its own right, be it your files being deleted or the game itself being deleted.
- Single-Attempt Game: If you collide with an enemy ship, the game deletes itself. So it's a single attempt unless you download/install it again.
- Schmuck Bait: You know you want to play it and completely delete all of your files.
- Villain Protagonist: From the game's site "Although touching aliens will cause the player to lose the game, and killing aliens awards points, the aliens will never actually fire at the player. This calls into question the player's mission, which is never explicitly stated, only hinted at through classic game mechanics. Is the player supposed to be an aggressor? Or merely an observer, traversing through a dangerous land?" Considering that the enemies are your own files and the character is the game itself, the game could be interpreted as you playing a piece of malware trying to destroy your computer.
- I finally beat the high score! Wait... where are all my irreplaceable photos of me and my family? NOOOOOO!!!!!