This Week's Waste of Time

Like the garage-rock scene of the 60s or indie music in the 80s, contemporary bedroom programmers are making some of the most innovative games around. It's why I started this column. And while all of these myriad titles on browser-game aggregates like Kongregate aren't gems it's still interesting to see what a 19-year-old with some skills can create.

The 19-year-old in question goes by the name of Hideous and he's made a handful of games that aren't innovating, but, for me, prove the point that the barriers to game creation are crumbling at an amazing rate. The glut of free games is growing difficult to keep up with.

Starting with the platformers, Hideous has put a slight spin on the genre with 1924. Billed as a silent video game, every standard jump and coin grab is accompanied by a brief pause in the action to interject written substitutes for the usual sound effects, including "a-hop," "ka-foff," "ka-twang," and "ping."

Canabalt may already have a typing-tutor mod, but Hideous has upped (or downed) the ante a bit with Chase Goose 2 by putting you in control of a duck being chased by a flying beast a la the Falcor-looking creature from Space Harrier. What's more, the only way to jump from one building to another is to hit the called-for keystroke at just the right time. Things get more complicated as you not only have to run (using the left and right keys) but hold shift and hit specific keys with clues like "How many udders does a cow have?" It's kind of addicting, even for people with less that brag-worthy typing skills like myself.

These little games, while far from perfect and lacking in the innovation department, are like mixtapes from friend. You might not like all the songs but they feel like unique personal moments that you can go back to at any time.

If you really want to test you mettle, try the We're Going to Cambridge! or We're Going Back to Winchester! driving "challenges" and see how long you last.