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Josh Ye

This article originally appeared on ABACUS
When the World Cup is over, the lasting image will likely not be one of triumph -- but of Neymar, rolling and rolling away.
The Brazilian superstar reacted to a foul by exaggerating how badly he was hurt, rolling around on the grass in an effort to sway the referee. His overreaction became the source of plenty of ridicule, tons of memes, and now a smartphone game: Rolling Neymar.
If you’ve ever played Red Light, Green Light as a kid, Rolling Neymar is like that -- but in reverse.
You roll around while the referee watches, but that’s pretty tiring! So when the referee turns around, you can take a break to recover some energy. But if the ref turns around and sees Neymar relaxing and not rolling around… you lose. The longer you can keep up the charade, the higher your score!

The game, free on Google Play, was developed by Anxious Otter Games, a company registered in Hong Kong. It comes in both English and (very sassy) Cantonese.
The game’s description reads, “Soccer rolling is a signature skill in the game. Enjoy this strategy game for free! It requires a lot of skill to attract the referee's attention!”
Just in case you haven’t been keeping track of the World Cup, the Neymar Challenge is all the rage on planet Earth right now. Millions of people are rolling on the floor and pretending to be in agony, all showing off their best Neymar impressions.

Making videos are one thing, but making a video game for the Neymar Challenge is definitely some next-level trolling. But it turns out this isn’t the first time a game has been made to troll World Cup players.
Back at the 2006 World Cup, there was a video web game titled The Real Butthead -- where you play Zinedine Zidane, trying to headbutt as many Marco Materazzis as possible. (Why there are so many of the Italian defender is left unexplained.)

Rolling Neymar has been rated close to 2,000 times on Google Play in the last few days. One user wrote, “Awesome full satisfaction.”
Baidu’s new blockchain game allows you to gamble on the World Cup

For more insights into China tech, sign up for our tech newsletters, subscribe to our Inside China Tech podcast, and download the comprehensive 2019 China Internet Report. Also roam China Tech City, an award-winning interactive digital map at our sister site Abacus.



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Video gaming

Neymar meme rolls all the way into a smartphone game

I don't know why there are so many Marco Materazzis but I kinda like it.

My heart aches when Neymar is caught...

Kids, you shouldn't kick anyone. Violence is bad! (But I won't lie, this is pretty satisfying to watch.)

Neymar meme rolls all the way into a smartphone game

Don't let the ref see that Neymar is actually uninjured!