Pick Up the Phone Booth and Die (1996) is a minimalist piece of Interactive Fiction by Rob Noyes. As the title suggests, you die when you pick up the phone booth. However, the game can be won, and in just two moves. The puzzle was a finalist for the 1997 XYZZY Award for Best Individual Puzzle.
The game inspired a large number of parodies, such as Pick Up the Phone Booth and Aisle (2001) written collaboratively by 13 authors, which itself was a 2001 XYZZY finalist for Best Use of Medium.
There is also a sequel, Pick Up The Phone Booth And Die 2 (1996), though it was only ever released as a demo.
This video game contains examples of:
- Anti-Climax: You can't pick up the phone booth, whatever shall you do? Push it over.
- Exactly What It Says on the Tin: There is a phone booth in this game. If you pick it up, you will die.
- Minimalism: The game doesn't have a lot to it, but it is said that less is more.
- Schmuck Bait: Basically the entire point of the game. What is the first thing you do when playing this?
- What the Hell, Player?: If you pick up the phone booth, the game calls you out on deliberately ignoring the game's only instruction.
