It's a mechanic as old as games themselves: perform poorly and you lose a "life". Experimental Dutch title GlitchHiker went a little further, though: perform poorly and the whole game died.
An entrant in the Dutch Global Game Jam 2011 earlier this year, GlitchHiker was tied to a central server which was programmed to literally destroy the game with each life lost. Players could earn lives by playing well, but if they didn't, the game would experience increasing defects until it was rendered unplayable.
Despite a weekend of people trying their best to "save" GlitchHiker, it is now no more. Well, you can download the thing if you want, but it won't work.
GlitchHiker probably won't make the jump from indie darling to mainstream hit, but there's a good reason for that: It can never be played again.
I just love that it still has to be judged for IGF. They say the act of not being able to play it counts as playing it...which is crazy, but it's also so brilliant I hope it doesn't get disqualified.
[DIYGamer] Vlambeer‘s Global Game Jam jury and audience awards winner GlitchHiker is now dead on arrival at the virtual footsteps of the IGF 2012 judges.The developers took the Jam’s theme of extinction literally and created a game that at once existed but had eventually become permanently wiped out.
either his plan back fired, and he expected to much out of people...
...or he is a f**king genius.
either way, i love the idea.
WTF