As you settle into our “new normal” lifestyle, spending days inside the house or on your own, you may be finding that you have a little more free time on your hands. And in your free time, you may have started a side-hustle, running daily, posting motivational quotes on Instagram, and planting your very own vegetable garden in the backyard. On the other hand, maybe you just rolled over and got a few more hours of sleep before starting to binge-watch the newest Netflix series. Don’t worry, we’re not here to judge. We’re just going to propose you do something creative, productive, and fun with all that free time. Why not make your own game?
Before you groan or start insisting that you’re “just not a gamer,” hear us out. At Koji, you’ll find countless templates to suit your preferences, whether you lean towards classic object blasting games or innovative ideas involving basketball shoot-outs. Even those among us who aren’t usually inclined towards playing games will derive pleasure from the simple task of creating one’s own invention that you can send to your friends and family for fun.
Choose a Template
To help you novice gamers out, we’ve compiled a list of our very favorite beginner-friendly templates that will allow you to get straight down to business and successfully create your own, personalized game.
Neon Blast (Old)
This timeless take on a straightforward shooting game includes the ability to collect upgrades that “supercharge” your firepower. While the designer of this template has since released a newer version, “Bouncy Blast,” that we also enjoy tweaking with, the original “Neon Blast” will forever remain the ultimate winner for overall blasting satisfaction.
Get ’em All
A variant on the widely-popular genre of “collect the item” games, “Get ’em All” uses a simple, seamless design paired with a compelling concept to attract both the diehard video-game enthusiast and the reluctant new gamer. If you’ve been thinking about spring cleaning your house or finally organizing your closet, “Get ’em All” offers the same satisfactory feeling of getting things done while requiring none of the physical effort. That’s a win-win, in our book.
Basketball Shoot
There’s something deeply addictive about this inventive basketball-shooting template that comes with a warning: “Requires steady hands.” And that’s not a lie! You’ll find you can spend countless minutes on the court, completely losing track of “real time,” and you’ll probably also never want to physically play basketball again. “Basketball Shoot” is just that much fun.
Wall Hopper
Another game for those with flexible fingers And dexterity of the wrists, “Wall Hopper” is an enjoyable adventure where your character moves continuously up a wall, hopping from side to side (hence the name). The whole time, you’ve also got to avoid enemies who are laying in wait for you, blocking a clear path to the other side of the wall. Easily individualized and edited, this template will have you hopping for days.
Fruit Slicer
We don’t deny that this template may very closely resemble a game that you’re already familiar with, but it is exceptionally fun to customize and tweak to suit your own tastes. And then, well, playing “Fruit Slicer” is fun too. Don’t believe us? Try it out!
Create a Remix
Once you’ve chosen which template you’d like to personalize, you’re going to want to click on the option to “Create Remix.” This will allow you to create an account or log in, and then proceed to creating your “remix,” or your own original edit of the template you chose. And you don’t have to know anything about coding to customize your game template. In fact, you won’t be doing any coding at all.
Koji has made it really easy to find support if you need help to get started. One of the first resources to utilize is their YouTube channel, which includes curated collections of videos organized into easy-to-find playlists, such as this one, titled “Getting Started Playlist.” You can also check out Koji’s blog or visit their website. Even for those of you who just aren’t that into gaming, Koji’s addictive and intense templates will get you fired up about creating your own original game. You may even find out that gaming has extremely beneficial side effects.
Gaming as Self-Care
Creating and, more importantly, sharing your remixes can be an unexpected remedy to feelings of depression, boredom, or loneliness brought on by the recent social distancing mandates put in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If you’re spending a lot of time inside at home, turning to innovation and creativity might actually be just the mental outlet that your overloaded and stressed brain was desperately searching for. And that’s not just our opinion: it’s scientifically been proven true–performing creatively actually improves your general well-being and health.
Forbes agrees: “It might sound too good to be true, but simply engaging in creative behaviors (even just coloring in those trendy adult coloring books) improves brain function, mental health, and physical health.” So how does engaging in creative behaviors improve your health to such a great degree?
Well, engaging in creative behaviors improves health in multiple ways, including:
- By increasing your happiness
- By reducing the chance of dementia
- By improving your mental health
- By boosting and bolstering your immune system
- By making you smarter
So the next time a family member, friend, or loved one asks you to play a video game with them, tell them you want to try something new. Try Koji. Not only will it make you smarter, but you’ll have fun too.