Blorbo's Arcade · Reaction time
Blink Test A one-eyed staring contest.
Blorbo stares at you. At some point he blinks. Tap the instant his eye closes. Ten blinks, one median, no mercy for flinching. He will also squint, sneeze and side-eye you on purpose. Those are not blinks.
He has one eye. A wink and a blink are legally the same thing.
- 10 blinks
- About a minute
- 3 strikes and you're out
- Tap, keys or ears
Your file: Not played yet
Staring contest. Best of ten.
Tap the instant his eye closes. He's warming up right now. Those blinks don't count.
Sound mode and an announced mode for screen readers are inside. Nothing flashes.
How to out-stare a professional
- Stare. Press Start staring and Blorbo locks his eye on you. Blinking yourself is allowed. He isn't petty.
- Catch the blink. When his eye closes, tap anywhere on the stage, or press Space or Enter. The clock runs from the frame his lid drops to your press.
- Don't flinch. Tap before he blinks and he notices: "Flinched! He saw that." The blink replays. No strike, just eye contact.
- Ignore the fakes. Squints, side-eye, his own magnifying glass, a fly called Gary, an eye-roll, a sneeze, a shirt walking past. Tap one and that's a strike. Three strikes ends the contest.
- Get your median. After ten real blinks you get your median (the middle time, so one lucky guess can't carry you) and your best single blink. Lower is faster.
Ranks, by median
Your rank comes from your median, not your best blink. One lucky tap does not an Eagle Eye make.
- 220 ms or fasterBlorbo-adjacent+ sunglassesHe would like to see some ID. Possibly two forms.
- 221 to 249 msEagle Eye (Singular)Promoted on the spot. There is no raise.
- 250 to 299 msJunior InspectorSolid. He has had worse interns. He has had a hamster.
- 300 to 499 msInternYou'll get there. Bring snacks.
- 500 ms or moreSloth on a SundayRelaxed. Unbothered. Possibly asleep. He respects it.
Know your enemy
A field guide to fake-outs
None of these are blinks. All of them have fooled somebody. The first three blinks only get squints; side-eye and the magnifying glass join at blink four, and from blink seven he brings everything, including Gary.
- From blink 1
The Squint
His lid drops partway, holds, and comes back up. It gets deeper as the contest goes on. Still not a blink.
“That was a squint. Squints are not blinks. Blorbo is disappointed in a supportive way.”
- From blink 4
Side-Eye
Pupil left. Pupil right. He is judging something just off stage. Possibly a font.
“That was side-eye. He was judging a font. Side-eye is not a blink.”
- From blink 4
Self-Inspection
He holds his own magnifying glass up to his eye. The eye disappears behind the lens for a moment. The eye is fine.
“That was his magnifying glass. He was inspecting his own eye. Professional courtesy, not a blink.”
- From blink 7
Gary
A fly called Gary lands on his nose. (He says it's his nose.) He looks at Gary. Gary has two eyes and won't stop mentioning it.
“That was Gary. Gary is a fly. Gary is not a blink. Gary is barely a fly.”
- From blink 7
The Eye-Roll
One full lap of the eyeball, usually after a pun. He writes most of the puns.
“That was an eye-roll. He rolls his eye at his own puns. Not a blink.”
- From blink 7
The Sneeze
Ah. Ah. CHOO. He sneezes with his eye wide open, which doctors say is not possible. He is very proud of it.
“That was a sneeze. He sneezes with his eye open. Doctors have questions. Not a blink.”
- From blink 7
A Shirt Walks By
A shirt slides past and his pupil follows it all the way across. He can't help it. It's his job.
“That was a shirt walking past. He had to look. It's his job. Not a blink.”
A note about your device
Your phone is slower than you. That's fine.
Your time includes your hardware. A screen takes a frame or two to draw his lid, a keyboard takes a few milliseconds to report a press, and touchscreens add more on top. Bluetooth keyboards and TVs in “cinema mode” add more still. Blorbo can't measure any of that, so he doesn't pretend to.
Touchscreens add 30 to 80 ms. You are competing with past you. Past you was slower.
So compare yourself with yourself, on the same device. Sound mode measures your ears instead of your eyes. Ears are often faster. Don't tell your eyes.
- His lid dropsThe clock starts on the frame that draws it.0 ms
- Your screen shows itMost screens refresh every 7 to 17 ms.+ a frame
- You notice and pressThe only part that's actually you.you
- Your device tells the browserKeyboards: a few ms. Touchscreens: more.+30 to 80 ms
Questions, stared at
What is a good reaction time?
Human visual reaction time is usually somewhere around a quarter of a second, and your device adds a little on top. Here, 300 ms or faster makes you a Junior Inspector, under 250 ms an Eagle Eye (Singular), and 220 ms or faster earns the Blorbo-adjacent rank. Blorbo's own time is classified.
Why the median and not the average?
Because one bad blink (you sneezed, the cat walked across the keyboard) would wreck an average. The median is the middle of your ten times, so it ignores your luckiest fluke and your worst moment equally. Blorbo calls this fair. The cat disagrees.
Can I play without watching the screen?
Yes. Turn sound on and he plays a short blip at every real blink, so it becomes a listening test, and those runs count normally. There is also an announced mode for screen readers that says "Blink!" at every blink. Screen readers add their own delay, so announced runs count as finishing but aren't filed as a best. The fake-outs make no sound, so listening players never get a strike.
Does anything flash?
No. The blink is his eyelid closing, not a flash, and nothing on the stage strobes. With reduced motion turned on in your device settings, Gary the fly and the passing shirt stop moving and simply appear.
Is there a time limit?
Only on him. If he blinks and nobody taps for a few seconds, he opens his eye and does that blink again with no penalty. Relaxed pace adds a two-second breather before every blink, and Pause stops everything (the blink you were on starts over).
What do I win?
Finishing earns the Staring Contest Entrant badge. A median of 220 ms or faster earns Blorbo-Adjacent, which unlocks his sunglasses, so nobody sees him blink. Everything is cosmetic: there is nothing to buy and no prize money.
Where are my scores kept?
In this browser, in Blorbo's case file. No account, no server and no leaderboard. A challenge link carries three numbers (your median, your best blink and the day) and nothing else.
Does he really only have one eye?
Yes. He has one eye. A wink and a blink are legally the same thing.
When you're done staring
More from the office
The Blink Test is one of a handful of small, silly games in Blorbo's Arcade. No coins, no sign-up, and your scores stay in your browser.