Maybe you’ve heard of a little sportsball contest that’s starting this week, and maybe you haven’t. If you haven’t, just know that that’s why your neighbors are going to be shouting like maniacs for the next few weeks.
My loud, a-hole neighbors aren’t the only ones excited about March Madness; Facebook’s Messenger app is also getting into the spirit with a hidden game that will test your skill, precision, and tolerance of emojis.
Here’s how to play.
All you have to do to challenge one of your friends is open a conversation, send them a basketball emoji (from the keyboard, not a sticker) and then tap on it to access the Messenger basketball game. Make sure you’ve grabbed today’s update from the App Store first, or it may not work.
Your goal is to make as many consecutive baskets as you can by swiping up on the ball at the bottom of your screen to take shots. It’ll change up your starting position on each try, and after you’ve made 10 points (one point per basket), the backboard will start moving. Whether you hit or miss, you’ll get an appropriate emoji reaction like a flexing bicep or a frowning face.
This little game tracks everyone in a chat, so really competitive people can start group sessions to see who among their friends is the best at pretending to play basketball. It’ll show the player with the highest score in the upper-right corner of the game window and keep a list of how everyone’s doing in the chat section, so you can keep your rivalry going whether you’re watching a college hoops game or not.
