Facebook Messenger has a secret basketball game, and everyone sucks at it

There are currently 800 million monthly active users of social media giant Facebook, yet only a small 5 per cent (43.7 million) of them know about a secret hidden game that's literally right beneath their fingertips.

And guess what, the game has clocked in about 700 million sessions of game play from 61 million different conversations, with less than 1 per cent of players were able to score 30 points and above. In fact, the majority of the players were only in the first tier of the score board: 1-10 points. This game is aptly named "Messenger Madness".

Here's the score breakdown of the players, according to The Next Web:

• 1-10: 56.8 per cent
• 11-20: 33.3 per cent
• 21-30: 9 per cent
• 31-40: 0.82 per cent
• 41+: 0.08 per cent

Feeling challenged?

Here's how you can put your finger and precision skills to the test.

The game can be activated by heading over to Facebook Messenger and sending a basketball emoji to a friend (note that this game is only available on the Messenger app on your mobile phone)

Next, all you need to do is click on the basketball emoji to kickstart your game. The real challenge begins at the 10-score mark when the hoop begins to sway from one side of the screen to the other, and at 20, the hoop moves even quicker.

For players who are good at predicting the position that the hoop will be in the next second, they would have the upper hand at the game. It's too bad that there aren't many such players.

Due to the game's difficulty, YouTube user Infinite Loop lent his advice to possibly scoring higher on the game by placing your phone on a flat surface and using a ruler or straight-edged object to make sure you'll land the score.

If your phone moves whilst you're navigating your basketball on the table, Infinite Loop suggests blu-tacking your phone to the table so it wouldn't budge whilst you play the game for hours on end.

It sounds like a whole lot of effort for such a simple game, but it is the simplicity that makes it addictive. Since its launch on March 17, it has been played more than 700 million times.

At this rate, it could even become a favourite among social media users as a game that is practically never-ending and addicting at the same time. Another one which has been around for a while, but is still equally as well-played would the the game that some would turn to when their internet connection is down: the Google dinosaur game.

This isn't the first time that Facebook created a game which was so easily accessible and simple to navigate. Last year, users were seen battling out with their friends in a game of chess which could be started by typing in @FBChess.

Who knows what else Facebook would come up with next, but rest assured if it is as simple in theory yet wildly challenging as Messenger Madness, users would no doubt be "hooped".

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