From Molydeux To Molyneux: The Weirdo Game Jam Comes Home To Roost

From Molydeux To Molyneux: The Weirdo Game Jam Comes Home To Roost

You may recall Molyjam, a 2012 “game jam” that brought together amateur and professional game developers from around the world to make games based on the weird ideas espoused by the satirical Peter Molydeux Twitter account. That account, of course, was a joke version of the very real game designer Peter Molyneux. Yes, it was all kind of difficult to explain. Lotta ins, lotta outs, lotta silent Xes.

Well, guess whose ideas they’re using for their second game jam?

If you guessed “The actual Peter Molyneux”, you win a prize! Maybe a weird and provocative prize, like the one inside of Molyneux’s Curiosity cube. But a prize, nonetheless.

Yes, the people behind the game jam have opted to base their second game jam (coming up this July) on the words of the man himself. They’ve taken Molyneux’s own quotes out of context and used them to come up with 22 game ideas, any of which can be turned into a game by game jam participants. So, if you’re keeping track, brings this entire meta-referential exercise all the way back around and up its own conceptual keister.

The original Molyjam was a crashing success that attracted, according to Molyjam organisers, more than 900 developers across 35 cities worldwide. They created hundreds of playable (or, “playable”) games, with at least two going on to find funding.

The new game jam is hoping to replicate that success. Says Brandon Sheffield, one of the Molyjam organizers:

We’ve gathered around 60 quotes for people to choose from, and we’ve got a “curated” list of 22 quotes, one for each of Molyneux’ cans. But anyone who is enterprising enough can go out and find a quote of their own, so long as they are able to source it. There are some choice quotes in there, like like “Pull the right trigger to see The Most Interesting Thing In The World,” and, “It’s you Americans. There’s something about nipples you hate.” Or your very own, “If you go into battle, you could win a ginger-haired person!”

Sheffield says that as it turns out, Molyneux’s quotes, when taken out of context, provide “a crazy goldmine” of odd ideas. Enough, they’re hoping, to cue a new group of developers to come up with a new bunch of weird games of their own.

They’re emphasising that all game types are welcome, from polished 3D games to simple Twine games and text-adventures; the idea is just to get as many people as possible involved, have a good time, and to see what comes of it.

Molyjam Part 2 will run from July 5-7, and you can sign up and find more information at the Molyjam Site. Godspeed, you crazy kids. I’m looking forward to seeing what comes of all this.


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