Sometimes the internet blesses us with something unexpectedly brilliant, and my latest online obsession is no different. One Million Checkboxes is a delightfully silly browser-based game where players are given (as the name suggests) one million tiny checkboxes to click. That’s it. There’s no aim and no further explanation needed – just click to your heart’s content.
For all you ’90s babies, the UX has a wonderfully retro feel that harks back to the minimalist website design of the early internet. There are no bells or whistles, just an endless sea of tickboxes ready to be checked, but be warned, the game is highly addictive and surprisingly frustrating.
Created by eieio.games, the game was announced by developer Nolen Royalty via X: “I made a website. it’s called ‘one million checkboxes dot com‘. it has one million checkboxes on it.” While the premise is simple, it’s an unexpectedly infuriating game, as ticking (or unticking) the boxes will affect everyone on the site. While most users chose a comfy corner to click their checkboxes in peace, there were naturally a few who went down the chaotic evil route, undoing the progress of others. Perfectionists, you might want to sit this one out.
Luckily there are plenty of checkboxes to choose from and it can be a surprisingly therapeutic experience when uninterrupted. Users on X were quick to share their praise, with one person commenting “This is what the internet was made for.” Others shared similar admiration, calling it a “global fidget toy” and comparing it to “a bubble wrap MMO.”
One Million Checkboxes is available to play here and you can find out more about eieio.games via their official website. For more gems from the internet, check out this fiendish font quiz hosted by none other than Owen Wilson, or take a look at the What Cake R U career quiz that went viral online.
