Ben and Trevor tackle the "Trust No One" theme for an upcoming game jam, using a random word generator to spark several high-concept designs:

a puzzle game involving blocks of ice and a suspicious AI assistant, where the player must determine if the instructions provided to navigate the room are trustworthy;

a high-stakes golf game set in Florida where you must manage a manual scorecard and determine if your opponent is cheating on their shots;

a conspiracy-theory-driven investigation where the player navigates a world of "deep state" paranoia, trying to distinguish between reality and fabrication;

and a unique "adventure phone" experience, where the game is played entirely through a mobile interface, featuring text messages, a GPS, and a T9 keypad mode to navigate a narrative of conflicting information.

Join Ben and Trevor as they explore the intersection of narrative, game design, and the art of not trusting anyone.

Ben and Trev break out Random Movies, where they each pull a couple of random DVDs off the pile and mash the pairs into game designs. This week:

a first person body swap where a dad and his son trade places in the middle of a life or death mission, and dying only makes you younger;

a plane passenger who wishes her kid out of existence and has to work out which of her fellow travellers was secretly a genie;

a co-op beat 'em up about two musclebound blokes who punch the demons clean out of the possessed;

a time travel murder mystery where the culprit is one gloriously reckless traveller who keeps materialising on top of people;

and more!

Ben and Trev reflect on their success in the GMTK game jam, where their narrative-driven game about counting sheep and falling asleep placed in the top 10% for enjoyment and the top 1% for audio. This week, they dive into some wild new concepts:

a heavy, atmospheric journey where a character must transport a single "strongbox" to a new home, navigating the physical and emotional weight of their possessions;

a high-stakes, narrative-driven busking simulator where a struggling artist in a rainy city must analyze the crowd and choose the right songs to survive;

a surreal, high-concept sports game featuring a centaur gymnast competing in a fantasy Olympics, complete with specialized events for various mythical creatures;

and more!

Join Ben and Trev as they explore the intersection of narrative, game design, and the occasional centaur in a leotard.