10 Seconds of Fear: 10 Seconds in Hell, 2013

Sometimes there are moments in life, so brief, yet so impactful, that you can't help but recall every second of it in excruciating detail. This seems to be the premise of 10 Seconds in Hell, a first-person game made by Amy Dentata for the Ludum Dare 27 Competition. The game places you in the midst of a terrifying situation, one which is remembered as only lasting 10 seconds; the outcome of those 10 seconds is left up to the player. The immediate situation is that your boyfriend/companion/friend/ is very angry with you for not following him out the door, but the more fundamental issue lies in the abusive relationship at hand and your character's fear to follow: "He thought I walked out the door with him. I don't want to go. I know what's going to happen if I do."

Don't be fooled by the robotic speech: this is a very human tale. The room in which these 10 seconds are spent is the only thing the character of the game remembers clearly. In this way, the environment is especially important to the value and conception of this game. Dentata calls the game "like horror but more like real life." The effect is devastating. The choice you make may be as well. Consider 10 Seconds in Hell an exercise in confrontation--that is, in confronting one's traumatic experience.

Available to download for mac, windows, linux, or simply play the game in your browser.

Choose Your Words Carefully: NSA Game

Game developer and all-around activist Grayson Earle is responsible for the brief yet powerful message of NSA Game.

The game is comprised of choosing between words not on the NSA's Internet watch list. The task proved far more challenging than originally thought. Earle comments: "In case you are wondering, yes--these words really are used by the government when monitoring your electronic movements and communication."

Hot in Herre: Martian Middle School Dance, 2013

I remember my middle school dances. They were awful. They were some of the most awkward experiences of my teenage years. The girls would stand on one side of the cafeteria, the boys on the other. Music would be playing at these dances -- music about relationships, being in love, and sex: all this at a middle school dance. Seriously, who thought that would be a good idea? I would love to meet the teacher, or parent, or student that thought that would be a good idea.

Benedict Fritz's Martian Middle School Dance is an insatiable little game, that is as much nostalgia as it innovative.

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: Check out Martian Middle School Dance right here, and let the awkward begin.

Don't Push the Button: Button Roulette, 2013

Button Roulette is a short, hilarious concept, crafted by Lana Polansky. Take a few minutes out of your day and have a good laugh. Check it out.

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: You can find it right here.

Tomb Raider: Room of 1000 Snakes, 2013

If you're an Indiana Jones fan, you might want to try this. Just sayin.

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: Play it right here.

Impending Suicide: Inner Vision, 2013

Made by independent developer Sunil Rao, Inner Vision is a short, dark game about talking three individuals out of committing suicide. The gameplay is simple and I think the concept is telling especially when considering your motives for intervening on behalf of these lonely individuals.


platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: Experience Inner Vision right here.

Staring Into the Heavens: Stargazing, 2012

This short, charming little game is the creation of one Paul S. Burgess. There isn't much to this game. The author states that this game "is not designed to challenge, just to be experienced." And that is exactly what it does. The music is pretty, and the dialogue is tender and playful. It will only take a few minutes to play through this one. Give it a try.

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: You can play Stargazing over here.

Creativity Down Under: Love Punks, 2012

This wacky, extremely creative browser-based game was made by a bunch of 9, 10, and 11 year-olds in Roebourne, West Australia. It uses stop motion to make up most (if not all) of the game's content. The game is a quick play but so worth your time.

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: You can experience Love Punks right here.

Answering the Pleas of Suicidal Businessmen: When Doves Cry, 2012

There came a point when I could find no more suicidal businessmen to save. I continued flying through the city, but could not find a single distressed thought wafting up the heights of the building tops. The city was dead; it was quiet. So I just flew. I flew and flew and flew. The process was intoxicating. I must have been at it for thirty minutes before I realized that I'd been doing nothing for the games' sake. Instead, I'd been flying through this fictional city without a care in the world, completely unaware of my own time, completely focused on flying.

I was a pigeon.

The city was dark. evening was here. The moon was out and the sun was just going down behind the skyline.

This experience has made me think of goals and how they are used in games. Goals are typically the focal point of any game. I suppose this is because we define a game as a competition of sorts, with rules and goals. The rules of a game distinguish the structure of the world in which you enter. The goals are intended to give you direction. These goals offer to identify what is important and what is necessary to accomplish. It should be noted that the goals are informed by the rules of the game. This is quite natural. Take for example the laws of gravity. These laws inform our goals, probably in ways which we take for granted. Practically speaking, this means that we can not, as a goal, intend to fly today. Gravity will not allow it. [of course, this did not stop the Wright brothers, and many others, from experimenting with aeronautics in the hopes of defying that very law]

It's interesting to think that I was able to ignore the goals of this game and simply experience it for what it was. Granted, I was confined to its rules and to its structure. I was confined to fly through the city, being a pigeon and all. But I'd be lying if I didn't say that I enjoyed being lost in flight.

When Doves Cry is a browser title created for the MolyJam 2012.


platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: When Doves Cry can be played right here.

A Creative and Startling Use of the Video Game Medium: Loneliness, 2011

A minimalist approach to portraying a very real human emotion. It's worth a play.

In the author's words, this game is "for anyone who has ever felt lonely."

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: You can find Loneliness right here.

Sociopathy: Intense Staring Simulator, 2012

The opening scene lays out the foundation of your character:

"You are a misanthropic sociopath with a burning hatred for other people. You are also a school student. Because of your attitude, there aren't too many people who try and talk to you. You're fine with this. That's how you like it."

Intense Staring Simulator is a sharp and witty title that never once drags its feet. And as of yet, I have found zero spelling errors, which makes me a very happy gamer. Very happy.

The goal of the game is to focus your hatred for human beings on those fortunate enough to have crossed your path (and who else but the social pariah would do such a thing?).

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: Play Intense Staring Simulator right here.

Correcting Papers for Evil Incarnate: First Person Tutor, 2012

In First Person Tutor, you are a teacher's assistant who must grade papers for a fiendish professor. This professor pays off part of your student loan debt for every student he is able to fail (thanks to you, the grader). The goal of the game is to catch as many grammatical errors as possible before running out of time.

This is a lot of fun. You'll get a kick out of hearing this professor, at the sight of a failed student, guffaw with sadistic pleasure.

platform utilized: browser
genre: other
where to find: Play First Person Tutor right here.