Gifts

An 18th birthday gift: “LEVEL 18 unlocked”

Turning 18 is literally levelling up. If you want an 18th birthday gift that isn't cash in a card or another phone, try one that tells the story of the first 18 years: a retro video game about their life so far.

We draw it in 16-bit pixel art, a look teenagers find genuinely cool, with their childhood, their school, their friends and an ending with messages from the family. It plays on a phone, which is exactly where they'll show it off.

From 59 € · You get it within 7 days of completing the guide (72 h with Rush).

The demo is the game of Grandad Ray, a made-up grandad turning 70.

How an 18th birthday game works

  1. Tell us who they are

    Our guide asks the right questions, about 10 minutes: what they were like as a kid, their school, their friends and what's next for them. It saves itself and you can finish another day. Photos if you like, for their pixel portrait.

  2. We write and build their game

    We show you the script before building it. It's ready 7 days after we have their full story, or in 72 hours with the rush option.

  3. Give it to them on their 18th

    They get a private link. It plays on a phone, a computer or the TV, with nothing to install.

Ideas for what their game could include

  • From level 1 to level 18

    The game moves through life stages: nursery, the primary school playground, secondary school and the first day as an adult.

  • The driving test as final boss

    The roundabout from hell, the parallel park, the examiner's clipboard: the most feared fight of being 18.

  • Their friends as characters

    Every mate with their catchphrase and role. At the party, everyone will want to find themselves.

  • What comes next

    An ending that looks ahead: university, a gap year, the first flat. With messages from parents, grandparents and siblings.

How to give it

At the birthday party with the game on the TV and their friends around. Or on WhatsApp at midnight: it'll be the first thing they show everyone the next day.

Scenes their game could have

  • A pixel-art living room with a red sofa, TV, rugs, the family and the pets.

    Their home

    Their living room, their sofa and their dog, who always eats what he shouldn't. Every corner hides a memory.

  • Side-scrolling race through a park with a crowd behind the barriers, km markers and water cups.

    Their races

    Their kilometre 30, turned into a race against the clock with the crowd cheering and water cups to grab.

See every scene →

Why it's different

Not a template with their name on it

Some “personalised” games swap the hero's name and little else. We write a story with chapters, and what really happens in their life becomes what you play. Three examples from the demo:

  1. What we were told“At his niece's wedding in 1998, he took the waiter carrying the four-tier cake for a cha-cha-cha.”

    What you playA rhythm minigame: you dance with the waiter to the beat… and the cake ends up on the floor, just like that day.

  2. What we were told“His little dog Biscuit eats whatever she shouldn't.”

    What you playA puzzle: Biscuit has the car key. You have to fill her bowl so she drops it.

  3. What we were told“His old Mini hardly ever starts: every Sunday he pushes it down the road with his mate and the neighbours.”

    What you playA race against the clock pushing the Mini down the road, collecting cha-cha records on the way.

Every game is directed by a person in the studio: they write the humour for that person, play it all the way through and nothing ships without their OK. 16-bit pixel art and original music, composed for the studio.

Price

Choose their edition

You get it within 7 days of completing the guide (72 h with Rush).

Adventure

59 €

Their personalised game: about 15 minutes to laugh, recognise themselves and be moved.

  • 3 chapters with their people and places
  • Their stories turned into game mechanics
  • A clever moment made only for their game
  • Ending with your message
  • Private link and digital gift card with a QR code
  • 1 round of changes
Start their game free

Recommended

Celebration

89 €

More game, made to share: about 25 minutes.

  • Everything in Adventure, plus:
  • 4 or 5 chapters
  • Party mode on the TV: minigames to pass the controller
  • More characters and more secrets
  • Soundtrack in their musical style
  • 2 rounds of changes
Start their game free

Special commission

from 179 €

For groups and big moments: weddings, retirements with the whole team, farewells.

  • Everything in Celebration, plus:
  • Several heroes or a longer story
  • Custom requests
  • 3 rounds of changes
  • If your commission needs more, we'll quote it before we start
Start their game free

Rush 72 h · +40 € Adds to any edition: you get it within 72 hours of completing the guide.

Give it as a group: a 179 € Special commission split between six friends is under 30 € each. One person pays and you split it however you like.

You start free: tell us their story with the guide (about 10 minutes) and pay at the end, once you've seen how it looks. Before building it we show you the script: if it doesn't convince you, we refund 100 %.

Your game will stay online for at least 5 years from delivery; if we ever had to take it down, we'll warn you well in advance and give you a way to keep it.

Changes

What changes include

Before building the game we show you the script: you can change anything there. Once the game is built, you get 1 round of changes with Adventure, 2 with Celebration and 3 with the Special commission.

Included in a round

  • Texts and lines
  • Names
  • Appearance details (hair, glasses, clothes…)
  • The chosen music
  • Small reorderings

Quoted separately

Adding chapters or new mechanics after the script is approved. If you want that, we'll quote it.

Frequently asked questions

Isn't it a bit childish for a teenager?

Quite the opposite: pixel art is retro aesthetic, the same look that thrives in indie games and on social media. What they don't expect is to star in it, with their friends and their jokes.

Can grandparents and aunts and uncles join in?

Yes: their messages go into the ending and they can appear as characters. Many families give it together.

How much is it and how long does it take?

Adventure is 59 €, Celebration 89 € and the Special commission from 179 €, VAT included, charged in euros. It's ready 7 days after we have their full story, or in 72 hours with rush delivery (+40 €). It's digital, so there's no shipping and nothing to get stuck at customs.

Who would yours be for?

From 59 € · You get it within 7 days of completing the guide (72 h with Rush).

The demo is the game of Grandad Ray, a made-up grandad turning 70.

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