Phasmophobia is a co-operative ghost hunting game by Kinetic Games, first released in early access in 2020. The Monkey Paw is one of its cursed possessions, found on haunted locations and able to grant spoken wishes, each one curling a finger and triggering a negative consequence for the team. Clips of players testing risky wishes spread widely on Twitch and YouTube, and the short curl snap became a recognisable shorthand online for a wish granted at a cost, separate from full gameplay.