The Paper Apps™ backstory

Excerpt from Paper Apps GALAXY update #2 on Kickstarter:

Since I was a boy, I have been making small computer games for myself, my friends, and my family. Many of these were made on an old Toshiba laptop using QBASIC in the 1990s. As you might expect, that laptop went missing at one point, and many of those games were lost. Later in life, I started making games for the iPhone. However, due to the ever-evolving standards of that platform, many of those games are no longer playable. Constant vigilance in updating the games to meet the latest requirements isn't really tenable for a solo indie developer like me.

This led me to start considering the classic pencil-and-paper games I also enjoyed in my youth. What if those games could be updated with more modern sensibilities? What if each game had randomly generated levels, like many video games? What if the games were single player?

I also sometimes felt guilty creating mobile games, because I knew it would glue people's eyes to their phone screens for that much longer. I liked the idea of an "app" that only does one thing and can't distract you any more than want it to. But most of all, I loved the idea that someone could pick up one of these games 100 years from now, perhaps from a box of their grandparent's things, and still play it.

That led to the concept of "Paper Apps" as game cartridges, for a very special console: YOU. The games would take cues from classic video game genres, but in a way that turns you (with added randomness in the form of a d6) into the processor and the player.

I hope to continue to grow the Paper Apps Library and that it will provide enjoyment for you and your friends for many years to come.

-Tom Brinton

Check out our Paper Apps collection