The Most Dangerous Games: The Text Skills Ritual Game, Or, How To Make A Contract With A Ghost To Get What You Want

Previously: The Black Keys Piano Ritual.

Is there something you want? Something you’d be willing to make a deal for? Something you desperately wish to achieve or acquire, and in exhange for which you’re willing to deal with some… let’s call them side effects? Then have I got a game for you: 문자스킬, or in English, the Text Skills Ritual Game. It’s not tricky to do; in fact, it’s quite simple. All you need is a phone — or even just a piece of paper and something to write with. But even though it’s not hard to play, you’d still do well to remember: All things have a price — especially wishes.

The phrase 문자스킬 translates directly to something like Text Skills, although Letter Skills and Writing Skills also both work. Regardless, the Text Skills Ritual Game is usually positioned as a method to get something you want — a wish or desire, represented here by the word “skill” — by making a contract with a ghost. In its original form, it’s intended to be performed on a mobile phone, although a few more variations have also emerged over the years.

[Like what you read? Check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available from Chronicle Books now!]

As for when this one originated: A lot of sources — blog posts on Naver and Daum; NamuWiki; Thredic; and so on — assert that the game first began circulating in 2006; however, although that could very well have been the case in terms of offline transmission, it didn’t arrive on the internet until 2007, per an excellent and informative paper on the Text Skills game by Hong Je-heon (홍 제 헌). Published in the Korean Journal of Religious Studies in 2020, the paper documents the practice of the Text Skills ritual, tracing its lifespan and structure from its first online appearance in 2007 up until what was then the present, as well as fits it into the larger context of spiritual practices and beliefs within youth cultures — and the evolution of this one is absolutely worth following.

Per this paper, the game itself — as previously mentioned — emerged online around 2007. The “Making a contact with a ghost to get what you want” framing, however, didn’t start popping up until after 2011 — which is also around the time that methods of increasing the effect of the game started appearing. 2013 saw the arrival of ways to force-stop the ritual mid-game, while the idea of a price needing to be paid in order to receive your wish — that is, the stipulation that you might experience various side effects while playing — began appearing around 2014. That’s the version that’s more or less been codified since, cementing it in place as the prevailing incarnation of the legend.

Additionally, although its initial ruleset specified that it could be conducted only with a mobile phone, later incarnations widened out the tools that can be used to play. Now, accepted rulesets also include computers, sticky notes, and plain old pieces of paper; I would imagine that tablets will also work, so we can also continue to do a little extrapolating as how that might work. The rise in variations ultimately serves to make the game even more accessible to play than it originally was: Whether you’ve got access to specific technologies or not — which are likely to be tied primarily to the age of the player and their or their family’s economic situation — you can still play.

So, with all that in mind: Here’s my best attempt a comprehensive ruleset. It’s a bit of a doozy, due to there being so many ways to play, but I’ve done my best account for as many variations as I can; the advantage of games like this is that you can sort of choose your own adventure in terms of the exact rules you use.

At the same time, though, that might serve to make the whole thing more dangerous, too.

Will it work? Probably not.

But even so: If you choose to play…

…Play at your own risk.

Players:

• One principal.

Requirements:

• Any of the following:
  • A mobile phone.
  • A tablet.
  • A computer.
  • A sticky note.
  • A piece of paper.
  • A writing implement, if using the sticky note or piece of paper.
  • Matches or a lighter, if using the sticky note or piece of paper. (Optional. Please exercise common sense fire safety precautions if using.)
• A desire. Something you want. Something you’re willing to sacrifice something else for in order to get.

Instructions:

Choosing Your Phrase:

1. First: think of your desire. What do you want? Think carefully. Are you willing to sacrifice something for it?
2. Desires will generally fall under one of the following categories. Identify the category yours falls under:
   • Romance: Desires pertaining to love and romantic relationships.
   • Wealth: Desires pertaining to money and financial situations.
   • Luck: Desires pertaining to fortune, good or bad.
   • Health: Desires pertaining to your physical or mental health
   • Physical appearance: Desires pertaining to how you look.
   • Academics and work: Desires pertaining to success at school or in the workplace.
   • Wishes: Desires for a wish to be granted.
   • Curses: Desires for harm to come to others. (NOTE: It is NOT recommended that you play this game for the purposes of laying a curse upon someone else. We do NOT condone harming others, and take no responsibility for your own decisions.)
   • Other: Desires that do not fall under any of the other categories.
3. Now: Consult this list of phrases, cross-referencing with your desired result. Determine which phrase is most closely associated with your desire.
   
   Commonly-used phrases, their associations, and the costs of using them include the following:

Category	Korean	English	Effect	Price
Romance	사과나무에 체리♥	Cherries on an apple tree♥	Attract a romantic partner	Nausea
Wealth	책상밑에 숨어라	Hide under the desk	An improvement in your financial situation	Lifelong haunting
Luck	노란옷의 녹색 신사	A green gentleman dressed in yellow	An improvement in your luck or fortunes	None specified
Health	꿈속에 나비와 천사	Butterflies and angels in my dreams	Restful sleep	None specified
Academics and work	움직이는초상화	Moving portrait	Within two days, increased concentration	Auditory and/or visual hallucinations
Wishes	신나는저글링	Excited juggling	Grants one wish	None specified
Other	팔묘촌의여덟묘신	The eight cat gods of Palmyo Village	Within eight days, relive one happy memory	None… as long as you have never harmed a cat

4. If these phrases are not well-associated with your desire, more complete lists of phrases and associations may be found here, here, here, and here.
5. Choose wisely.

Writing Your Phrase:

Once you have chosen your phrase, proceed as follows:

If using a mobile phone, tablet, or computer:

1. Open your note-taking app or program of choice.
2. Within the note-taking app, write down the phrase you have chosen — the phrase that best represents your desire.
3. Take a screenshot showing your phrase displayed on your screen within the app.
4. Set this screenshot as the wallpaper for your device.

If using a sticky note or piece of paper:

1. Using the writing implement, write your chosen phrase down on the sticky note or piece of paper.
2. If using a sticky note: Place the sticky note somewhere you are likely to see it with some degree of frequency.
3. If using a piece of paper: Place it in your pocket and carry it with you for the duration of the game.

Ending The Game:

When you would like to end the game — because you have achieved your desire; or because you have not and do not wish to carry on waiting for your desire to become yours; or, perhaps, because the side effects have become too much for you to bear — proceed as follows:

If using a mobile phone, tablet, or computer:

1. Set a new wallpaper for your device.
2. Delete the screenshot with your phrase from your device.
3. Delete the note-taking app file with your phrase from your device.
4. Do not permit any trace of your phrase to remain saved on your device.

If using a sticky note or piece of paper:

1. Tear the sticky note or piece of paper to shreds.
2. Burn the shreds, if possible.
3. Do not permit any shred of paper to remain in your possession.

Additional Notes:

It is not known whether your chosen phrase must be written in Korean, or whether a translation of the phrase into your native language will suffice. If you do not achieve the desired results with one language, you may try again with another if you wish.

Sources do not agree on whether attempts must be made with a single desire only, or whether you may attempt multiple desires in a single game. If you would like to attempt multiple desires, write each phrase corresponding your desires in your note-taking app or on your piece of paper, each on their own separate line, at the appropriate point; then continue as previously written. For best results, however, it is suggested you use only one desire and its corresponding phrase per game. Fewer variables; fewer things that can go… wrong.

Phrases With Special Instructions:

Please note that some phrases are governed by their own rules, and therefore require following special instructions, if you wish to use them. Examples include, but are not limited to:

• 63빌딩 00층
  • Translation: “Building 63, Floor 00.”
  • Effect: Romance; attract a romantic partner.
  • Special instructions: To use this phrase, you must play the game every day for 64 days, with the phrase you write and then set as your device’s wallpaper, place somewhere you will see often, or carry around with changing each day. The change is in the floor number: On the second day, you must write 63빌딩 01층, or “Building 63, Floor 01.” On the third day, you must write 63빌딩 02층, or “Building 63, Floor 02.” Do this every day until you reach 63빌딩 01층, or “Building 63, Floor 63.” Do not miss a single day. Should you miss a day, you must start over from the beginning. When you reach floor 63, you will receive a phone call from the person on that floor of that building. This person is destined to become the love of your life.
• 버스안에 사자 12마리
  • Translation: “12 lions on the bus.”
  • Effect: Other; receive a phone call from someone you haven’t heard from in some time.
  • Special instructions: To use this phrase, you must play the game every day for 12 days, with the phrase you write and then set as your device’s wallpaper, place somewhere you will see often, or carry around with changing each day. The change is in the number of lions: Each day, reduce the number by one. Do not miss a day. Should you miss a day, you must start over from the beginning.
• 0000홀릭
  • Translation: “0000holic.”
  • Effect: Romance; a person you are interested in will contact you.
  • Special instructions: To use this phrase, you must know the telephone number of the person you wish to contact you. When you write the phrase down, replace the “0000” with the middle four digits of that person’s phone number. Note: It is not known whether this method works for all telephone numbers, or only phone numbers that follow Korean formatting conventions.

When you are choosing your phrase from the complete list, be sure to note whether or not it is a phrase that requires special instructions. If your chosen phrase does, do NOT fail to follow them.

Again: Choose wisely.

For Best Results:

In order to increase the effect of the ritual on your desire — that is, for best results — you may employ any or all of the following methods:

• Write down your phrase precisely at the top of the hour — e.g., perform the physical act of writing precisely at a time such as one o’clock, two o’clock, or three o’clock.
• If writing your phrase within a note-taking app of a mobile phone, tablet, or computer, match the color of the text to the color of the background — that is, make the text difficult or impossible to see.
• If using a mobile phone, tablet, or computer to play, leave your device unlocked after writing your phrase and keep it unlocked for the duration of the game.
• After you conclude the writing portion of the game: Forget about the game immediately. Do not think about it. Put the ritual out of your mind entirely. Write, and forget.

A Final Warning:

Although there are no strict limits on how many times this game may be played, it is recommended not to play it too much, or too often.

There are only so many bargains your correspondent might be willing to make, after all.

Don’t be greedy.

For that, too, has a price.

And some prices are just too high to be worth it.

***

Follow The Ghost In My Machine on Bluesky @GhostMachine13.bsky.social, Twitter @GhostMachine13, and Facebook @TheGhostInMyMachine. And for more games, don’t forget to check out Dangerous Games To Play In The Dark, available now from Chronicle Books!

[Photos via StockSnap (1, 6), kascreates, Didgeman, jessica45, karolinagrabowska/Pixabay]