· Absurd Bureaucracy · Checking links
The Unsubscribe Bureau: a free game about checking links
Get off made-up newsletters in the fewest clicks. Check where each link really goes.
What is The Unsubscribe Bureau?
Newsletters from the made-up shops and clubs of Nowhere keep coming. Tap a footer link to see where it really goes (that's free), open the one on the sender's own domain, then pick “Unsubscribe from all” on a page that pre-selects “fewer emails”. Fewest clicks wins.
The Unsubscribe Bureau is a free game about the footer of every newsletter. Made-up shops and clubs of Nowhere keep writing, and you want off their lists in the fewest clicks.
Tap a footer link to see where it really goes (that is free), open the one on the sender's own domain, then pick “Unsubscribe from all” on a page that pre-selects “fewer emails”. Look-alike domains, “this topic only” links and a big “Keep me subscribed” button are in the way.
At a glance
- Category
- Absurd Bureaucracy
- Difficulty
- Medium
- Play time
- 5 min
- Price
- Free, in your browser, sign-up optional
How to play
- Leave
- +100 per list left, up to +50 for the fewest clicks.
- Traps
- Look-alike domains, “this topic only”, and the big “Keep me subscribed” button.
- Three levels
- Beginner, Intermediate or Expert, picked before you play: the content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.
- Satire
- Absurd and warm: every country, office, planet and form is made up, and every run ends on a real admin skill.
Scoring
+100 per list left, up to +50 more for the fewest clicks, and +10 for a list you stayed on.
Win by getting off at least 70% of the lists.
What it trains
- Checking links
- Reading the address before opening.
- Defaults
- Changing a pre-selected option you didn't choose.
Strategy and tips
- Check before you click
- The address matters more than the label. On Expert, the link that says Unsubscribe can be the fake one.
- Same domain
- The real link is on the sender's domain, exactly. Extra words or a 0 for an o mean a different site.
- Change the default
- Pre-selected options are the sender's choice. Pick the one you want.
Why play The Unsubscribe Bureau?
Checking where a link goes before opening it is one of the most useful habits online, for newsletters and for everything else.
Frequently asked questions
Is The Unsubscribe Bureau free?
Yes. It is free and runs in your browser, with no download. Signing up is optional.
Are these real newsletters?
No. Every app, website, newsletter and domain in the game is made up (the addresses end in .example, which is reserved for examples). The online habits it teaches are real.
Are there difficulty levels?
Yes: Beginner, Intermediate and Expert. The content and the clock change, and each level keeps its own best score.