Games vanishing in the internet

I recently pulled out of my files a Roll & Write game called Rake and Roll. It was from a Global Jam from a few years ago and I was just looking for an autumn-themed game to learn. 

It was a peasant little game, a collection of mini-games/scoring areas whose most noteworthy element was using multi-colored dice to fit the theme of fall leaves. I felt the rules could use some clarity and I was meh about the game timer (A die roll determined that which meant a game could last between seven and forty turns, which I felt was too swingy)

But when I decided to write it up for this blog, I tried to actually find it online. I mean, it’s a waste of time to write about a game people don’t have any change of playing. And I couldn’t find it.

I don’t know if the Global Jam erases games after a certain amount of time. Although I do think a lot of the games end up on itch.io The designer may have just taken it down. Or maybe I’m just really bad at searching the web.

Now, I make it a point to save games from design contests because I don’t know if I’ll be able to download them in the future. Usually, it’s because the designers are working on getting the game published. I do get some poser joy from knowing and playing a game before it got cool lol Tussie Mussie, which started out as a winner in a GenCan’t design contest, is an example of that.

But some games just vanish.

Now, there are two lessons that I take from this.

One, there is some value to my digital hoarding.

Two, if I didn’t do this digital hoarding, I wouldn’t be missing that many diamonds in the rough. Rake & Roll is an okay game but, earlier this year, I learned a mechanically similar game, Greatest Beach Vacation. In addition to being readily available and currently free, I think it’s just a better game. If I never tried Rake & Roll, it wouldn’t have been a big, gaping hole in my gaming experience.

While I enjoy combing through contests and the like, the cream of the crop tends to get published. And yes, you have to pay for it but you generally get more played tested and higher produced versions.