About Ad Block: The Game

Ad Block: The Game is not ad blocking software

It doesn't install anything on your device, doesn't run in the background, and doesn't touch a single real ad anywhere. This is an affectionate museum of the dismiss-button dark patterns that legitimate ad networks have spent decades trying to stamp out. Some might consider the whole project satire of the current state of the internet.

So why?

We've all been there: an ad in the one place you don't want it, a dismiss button that isn't where it should be, and a countdown timer that runs before the close button even appears and somehow gets more attention than the ad itself, because you can NOT wait to dismiss it.

Ad Block: The Game packages all that early internet nostalgia and a little frustration into an engaging puzzle game where you take on the persona of the ad blocker, that friendly software we all like to install. You'll be presented with 15 different puzzles that will challenge your reflexes and your patience, while the fake ad text will remind you of the funniest ads we've all seen over the years. Think you can brave the early web and beat the high score?

How it's built

The whole game runs in your browser. There's no account to create and nothing to download - you open the page and you're playing. It was built mobile-first, so it's designed around touch inputs, though it works on desktop too. Scores live in your browser's local storage, on your device. Full detail on what this site does and doesn't collect is on the privacy page.

Who makes it

Ad Block: The Game is made by Sutherlandon, LLC, a small software company based in Northern New Mexico. More of what we build is at sutherlandon.com, or reach us directly on the contact page.