Terminally Online

Explain an internet thing to a jury of adults.

Take something that only makes sense if you were there, and present it as journalism. The artifact, its historical context, why it matters, and a verdict. Rated on Translation, how Chronically Online you are, and whether it held up.

4–10 players4-slide starter deck6 min to buildTerminal theme
Start a Terminally Online party

How it works

  1. 1.Everyone gets a different internet artifact
  2. 2.Present it like a documentary, not a group chat
  3. 3.Assume the audience has never been online
  4. 4.Deliver a verdict at the end

Your deck is already started

Nobody starts at a blank white slide. Every player gets these 4 slides pre-laid-out in the Terminal theme, with a prompt on each one telling you what goes there.

The Artifact

1/4

Historical Context

A timeline. Dates optional, confidence mandatory.

2/4

Why It Matters

Make the case that this changed something.

3/4

Verdict

Did it hold up? Rule on it.

4/4

How you're scored

After each presentation the room votes on three things specific to this mode — not generic “was it good”.

Translation

Could an outsider follow that?

Still lost → Crystal clear

Chronically Online

How deep in was this person?

Touches grass → Never logs off

It Held Up

Does it still land today?

Aged badly → Timeless

Terminally Online prompts

Every player is dealt a different one of these.

  • Explain a meme to a judge
  • Defend your most embarrassing algorithm
  • A niche internet war, presented as journalism
  • My For You Page: a psychological profile
  • Why this one sound is on 400,000 videos
  • The lore of a person you have never met
  • A timeline of a discourse nobody won
  • An internet feud, told from both sides
  • The rise and collapse of a single account
  • A comment section, close-read
  • Explaining your search history under oath
  • The most consequential post of the last decade

Ready to run Terminally Online?

Free, in the browser, nothing to install. Share a six-character code and your friends are in.

Start a party

Other game modes

Classic Shuffle

The original. One topic, everyone suffers together.

3–10 players3 slides

Startup Roast

Pitch a company that should not exist. Get funded anyway.

4–8 players5 slides

Things I'd Replace My ___ With

One slot. One replacement. Defend it to the room.

4–10 players4 slides16+

Conspiracy Defense

Five slides. Zero evidence. Make us believe.

4–8 players5 slides

Corporate Cult

Onboard us. We are not allowed to leave.

4–8 players5 slides

Red Flag Runway

Present your worst quality like it's a feature.

4–8 players4 slides16+
See all 12 modes