"All the pieces are so simple, what could possibly go wrong?" Sound familiar?
That's probably what you say to yourself when you unpack a box of IKEA furniture. You've got all the pieces, you've got instructions with diagrams, you got a good night's sleep. Again, "What could possibly go wrong?"
Everything, that's what. So that line isn't just something you say to yourself when you're getting ready to build some IKEA furniture. It's also from a little demo of a new video game called Höme Improvisåtion that simulates the IKEA furniture-building experience. Note the umlaut over the "o" in "Home," please.
Yes, in case deciphering IKEA's directions and figuring out how to somehow use a small, weirdly-shaped object as a tool IRL isn't enough fun for you on a Saturday afternoon, you can now experience this frustration in your free time.
This simulation game came out of the recent Global Game Jam, an annual event where game developers get together all over the world to let their creative juices flow and create all sorts of games. Höme Improvisåtion was created in 48 hours by a small team consisting of Aj Kolenc, Jessica Jackson, Colton Spross and Josh Faubel at Global Game Jam's Atlanta location.
The game works pretty much like building IKEA furniture does in real life. You get a package, you take out everything in the box and start to build. Unfortunately, there was a problem printing the instruction manual, so you're basically left to figure out what goes where on your own, also just like real life!
You can play with up to four people, because building furniture is always more fun with others, right? Or, you can choose to build your furniture solo, "and slowly descent into madness." The choice is yours.
Once you finish building a piece of furniture, you'll get another piece to assemble. The more you build, the more the packages will just keep on coming. And remember, "If you don't know where it goes, don't stick it up your nose." Sage advice.
You can download Höme Improvisåtion for free or play it online on Kongregate now.
Of course, this isn't an officially IKEA-sanctioned video game, but it might as well be. From the diatrics to the game's blue-and-yellow logo to the encouragement to "think like a Scandinavian industrial designer," it's obvious Höme Improvisåtion is an IKEA parody. IKEA tends to have a pretty good sense of humor, so hopefully the furniture company feels flattered rather than offended.
[H/T Co.DESIGN]
