I’m very intrigued by alpha and beta versions of video games. It’s fascinating to see early incarnations of the final product. It’s like discovering a secret world, the backstage of the game world, that few actually witness. Granted, most of it is rough draft quality and incomplete, but it’s always interesting to see what might have been. You can find tons of screen shots and videos of alpha and beta versions of one of my favorite games, The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time. For example:
I think a compelling game to play would be one that incorporated these alternate versions of itself into the main game. Game characters, including the one you play, might stumble into another universe or a higher reality that sandboxes “normal” reality, and you can explore and discover different, distorted versions of yourselves and your world. Perhaps the characters could deduce they’re programs in a computer by observing that the laws of physics aren’t consistently applied. It’d be funny if they started worshipping the almighty Evaluator for giving them life and providing for their reality. I have so many more cool ideas, but I’d hate to give them all away in case I decide to make a game like this some day.
It’s a shame that it takes so much effort to make a video game, especially in these days of high production values. If you’re a writer, you can type all you want at home on your own. If you want to make a video game, you have to enlist the help of many people. I’m actually surprised there isn’t a popular open source project and community that solves this problem already.