Games That Can't Be Blocked
Platforms like Coolmath Games or Hooda Math are frequently whitelisted because they offer educational content alongside entertainment.
Traditional game theory and interactive system design assume that players or external administrators can block, stall, or veto game states (e.g., refusing moves, disconnecting, or imposing latency). However, a new class of games—here termed Unblockable Games —enforces state progression regardless of adversarial interference. This paper provides the first formal definition of an unblockable game: a game where, for any player action or external blocking attempt, the game state deterministically advances toward a terminal condition within bounded time. We prove that unblockable games require three properties: move irreversibility , asynchronous clock dominance , and no veto points . We then construct a taxonomy of existing unblockable mechanics (e.g., Hot Potato variants, countdown timers in speedchess, forced discard in MtG, and blockchain-based commit-reveal games). Finally, we demonstrate a novel unblockable game, "Avalanche," which remains playable even when 50% of participants actively try to halt it. Implications are discussed for decentralized gaming, adversarial network environments, and accessibility for "griefing"-prone communities. games that can't be blocked