i think the near-extinction of people making fun, deep and/or unique interactive text-based browser games, projects and stories is catastrophic to the internet. i'm talking pre-itch.io era, nothing against it.
there are a lot of fun ones listed here and here but for the most part, they were made years ago and are now a dying breed. i get why. there's no money in it. factoring in the cost of web hosting and servers, it probably costs money. it's just sad that it's a dying art form.
anyway, here's some of my favorite browser-based interactive projects and games, if you're into that kind of thing. 90% of them are on the lists that i linked above.
A Better World - create an alternate history timeline
Alter Ego - abandonware birth-to-death life simulator game
Seedship - text-based game about colonizing a new planet
Sandboxels or ThisIsSand - free-falling sand physics games
Little Alchemy 2 - combine various elements to make new ones
Infinite Craft - kind of the same as Little Alchemy
ZenGM - simulate sports
Tamajoji - browser-based tamagotchi
IFDB - interactive fiction database (text adventure games)
Written Realms - more text adventure games with a user interface
The Cafe & Diner - mystery game
The New Campaign Trail - US presidential campaign game
Money Simulator - simulate financial decisions
Genesis - text-based adventure/fantasy game
Level 13 - text-based science fiction adventure game
Miniconomy - player driven economy game
Checkbox Olympics - games involving clicking checkboxes
BrantSteele.net - game show and Hunger Games simulators
Murder Games - fight to the death simulator by Orteil
Cookie Clicker - different but felt weird not including it. by Orteil.
if you're ever thinking about making a niche project that only a select number of individuals will be nerdy enough to enjoy, keep in mind i've been playing some of these games off and on for 20~ years (Alter Ego, for example). quite literally a lifetime of replayability.
you will not replace me
the severance season 2 speedy squad of six
Gemma Scout, on the phone with her bank: Yes I’m just trying to reopen my account. ‘Marked as deceased’ yes I know, but I’m not dead. Yes I know my husband sent you my death certificate. My death was faked in a really elaborate scheme so—no, not by me. Look just turn on CNN. I’m all over the news. It’ll—'can I come in with my husband?' No, I can’t. He’s dead now. Well maybe not dead. But he’s probably never coming back alive. They can’t get his innie in the elevator. Yes they tried that. But he sticks his arms and legs out real wide like a cat so they can’t get him in the elevator.”
W- WHAT’S THAT RUMBLING? The weird world of Smile For Me is coming to NINTENDO SWITCH, PlayStation, and Xbox! (Music by @everydaylouie) With Serenity Forge, Smile For Me is coming to consoles in 9 languages! The game is remastered with visual improvements, motion controls, and brand new easter eggs. We’re also releasing the game PHYSICALLY with tons of incredible goodies to dig into! Click here to find out more!!
not to brag but im wanted by some very important organizations
the egg bar is coveted as fuck
What the innies know and don’t know about the world is still so fascinating to me
I would take a whole season with no drama, just MDR discussing what they think the outside is like and what they know exists and why they know it exists
Why does Helly know “the equator” but Mark doesn’t, why does she know the name but not what it is, if they put their minds together could they piece together a picture of the world they’ve never seen or properly learned about
What makes it so they remember no personal details but remember things like language and how to operate computers and furniture and names of foods and concepts like sex and love and practical knowledge like how to tie a noose and also random geographical terms with no context
Helly says she’s been trying to think of place names does that means they can concentrate their way into knowing more
If you’ve been there for a long time do you know more because you’ve had more time to think of things
Not remember them but think of them because it’s not knowledge you had and recalled it’s knowledge you didn’t have before but then you have it from nowhere and now you know it and isn’t that fucking fascinating
If I ever write severance fanfiction it will be so insufferable and un fucking readable I swear
wake again after rest