#shufflecomp

ShuffleComp is a musical interactive fiction competition, first ran in 2014, where you make games based on songs chosen by fellow entrants. It has two phases: first, entrants submit a playlist of 8 songs. Then, playlists will be randomly created from the provided songs and sent to the entrants, and you’ll make games based on these playlists.

How it works:

Sign up for the game jam and/or submit a playlist of up to 8 songs here. This is due by December 15, 2025. You can make games without submitting songs, or submit songs without making games, but it is recommended that you do both. Songs from people not making games will only be used if there are not enough songs otherwise.

By December 20, if you indicated that you're interested in the jam, you'll receive a list of 8 songs by email, randomly selected from other participants' submissions. Now, you'll write a game (or up to 3 games) based on some of these songs. You can submit songs to this jam page.

Games are due by January 19, 2026. After which, you'll be able to vote for the following two weeks.

Rules for games:

Games should be interactive fiction in some way.

Games should be based on at least one of the songs you received, but can use any number of songs. You can interpret “based on a song” however you’d like.

Games should not include any generated AI content.

You can submit up to 3 games, using different songs or the same songs.

Voting will be based on the use of songs and the overall game goodness.

Sign-ups and music submissions

She's Etheldred. She's Ethel. She's Adele. She's a vampire. It's in her nature to bite. It's in her nature to hurt others. It's in her nature to self-destruct.

Or at least, that's what she claims.

It was several years before the abolition of the papacy that coin-operated confessionals began to populate the cities.

NIGHT CONFESSIONAL » An interactive fiction piece about a confession booth on a cold December night.

STARFISHER is a short interactive story, a submission for Shufflecomp 2023 based on the song Starwatcher by The Decemberists

+ go fishing + talk to your dad + contemplate the small things

I have a new game for Shufflecomp 2024 & Seedcomp 2025!

Friends Humphrey & Jayden have died.  In the afterlife, they drift on a never-ending sea on a ship with no destination.  One day, they have the dialogue archived in this game.

James Fagan & Ryan Gaiser star in this game as Humphrey & Jayden respectively. This game would also not exist without the Public Domain Image Archive -- as soon as I saw it, I knew I wanted to make a game with the images there! They inspired this project.

(You Can't) Escape the Unholy City, by alyshkalia

Mix Music-based Interactive Fiction During 'ShuffleComp 2024'

A game jam that combines two of my favourite things, music and interactive fiction? Never thought I'd see the day, and now ShuffleComp 2024 is right around the corner!