A SHARED EXPERIMENT
THE BUTTON
One clock. Everyone's nerve.
Checking who's here…
PATIENCE IS THE GAME
How long can
we keep this going?
A single countdown, shared by everyone. Wait for more points, or press to keep the game alive.
Choose a section above to join in, compare scores, or say hello.
YOUR NEXT MOVE
Take your place.
Choose a name. Trust your timing. Every press is part of the story.
Already playing? Log in with the same name and password to pick up where you left off.
YOUR PART IN THE EXPERIMENT
Good things come to those who wait. Sometimes.
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Your personal bests
YOUR NEXT CHALLENGE
Finding your place…
Positions follow the leaderboard: total points, then player name for ties. Any positive points gain puts you ahead of an equal score.
Your achievements
Loading badges…Earned through timing, not volume. Your existing history counts. No bonus points.
Your scoring zones
Your press history
THE LONG GAME
Updates every 5sLeaderboard
A little patience. A little nerve. See who's making every second count.
Loading scores…
THE PLAYER LOUNGE
A little company
while you wait.
Talk strategy. Share a close call. Say hello.
Who's in the lounge
Loading messages…
Pull up a seat. Log in or join the game to say hello.
Be kind. 200 characters max · 2 seconds between messages
THE FINAL CHAPTER
Every second had a story.
The clock has stopped. Here's how we got here.
Presses per zone
Leaderboard
Full press log
SIMPLE RULES. DIFFICULT DECISIONS.
It's all in the timing.
Everyone shares the same clock. What you do with it is up to you.
Keep the clock alive
Every press resets the countdown for everyone.
Wait for your moment
The lower the countdown, the more you score. Each zone awards a fixed number of points per press.
Don't wait too long
If the countdown reaches zero, the game is over. Forever.
Six zones. Increasing stakes.
Player scores are always public. Detailed global stats are revealed when the game ends.
Inspired by the original Reddit "The Button" experiment.
BEYOND THE BUTTON
Stay a little longer.
Small experiments, open-source projects, and the person behind them.
Visit Eric's homepage for contact information, social media, and links to his other projects.
Meet the makerMore projects, ideas, and ways to get in touch.Mailing list
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FUEL THE NEXT EXPERIMENT
Help keep ideas alive.
Independent projects, made for everyone. A little support goes a long way.
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Thank you for supporting independent, open-source work.