The Circle Game is a game of peripheral vision, trickery and motor skills as well as a viral meme on line. The objective of the game is for someone to trick another person to looking at the OK sign-like hand gesture below the waist. If the person does look directly at the hand gesture, the consequence is being punched closed fist in the bicep. The Circle Game has spread around the world since its founding.

The Circle Game is documented first appearing in the United States in the mid 1970s when a number of people claimed to have played it in Colorado, Iowa, and Southern California. Vice ran an article which wrongly claimed that Matt Nelson invented the Circle game in the early 1980s. While he was attending elementary school, Matt invented the game as an excuse to punch his friends and two brothers. By the 1990s, the game has spread worldwide and was referred to as "ballgazing" in Australia. The virality of the game reached a tipping point on November 15th, 2000 during the fourth episode of the second season of Malcolm in the Middle. The main characters played The Circle Game on the show, introducing the concept to millions of viewers.

Although there are variations of rules found worldwide, these are the general guidelines on how to properly participate in the Circle Game. 1.

The Offensive Player's hand must be below his waist.

2. The Victim should attempt to see the circle without looking down.

In other words, by peripheral vision, the Victim realizes there is a circle-hand event occurring.

The Victim has two possible methods to win the game:

a. The Victim does not look down at the signal.

Instead, the Victim stares the Offensive Player in the eye and says, "I'm not going to look at that."

(or words to that effect.)

b. The Victim does not look down at the signal.

Instead, the Victim quickly pokes his index finger through the Offensive Player's circle-hand display.

If he can poke inside and break the circle, HE wins, and gets to hit the Offensive player in the bicep.

This action requires excellent motor skills (to poke the circle without actually looking directly at it.)

3. If the Victim looks at the circle, he loses (and is hit.)

4. If the Victim attempts to poke the circle and misses, he loses (and is hit.)

5. If the Victim attempts to poke the circle and Offensive player closes the circle, trapping Victim's finger, then the Victim loses (and is hit.)

It is customary to playfully "wipe off the hit" after it is delivered.

(Quick open hand brush on the bicep.)

The Circle Game began to appear on the internet in the early 2010s, two decades after its initial creation.

The game became a meme and reached the height of popularity in late 2017 when variations of the meme began to spread on Facebook, Reddit, and Instagram. ^[1] In January 2018, Josh Murphy flashed the circle game during the inauguration of his father, Philip D. Murphy, as the Governor of New Jersey.