Mice

I recently found myself in a simple thought experiment: How do you extend the shelf life of a game?

I went back into my memory, revisiting the foundational games of my childhood—simple, elegant systems like Snake. I tried to identify the most basic lever one could pull to breathe new life into an old mechanic. The answer wasn't better graphics, more levels, or complex loot boxes. The answer was perspective.

Mice is the result of that experiment. By keeping the exact same gameplay mechanics but simply changing the role the player inhabits, you completely transform the experience. You are no longer the predator; you are the prey. The map hasn't changed, the rules haven't changed, but your emotional relationship to the game has flipped from domination to survival.

The Universal Application

This concept of "Role Inversion" might not apply to every game ever made, but it unlocks hidden depth in many classics.

• Pong: What if you played as the bricks, sweating as the ball chipped away at your defenses?
• Space Invaders: What if you were the fleet commander, coordinating a slow, rhythmic descent against a lone defender?
• Super Mario: What if you were the obstacles, strategically placing yourself to prevent the hero from rescuing the princess?

Scaling with AI

This idea becomes exponentially more powerful in the age of AI. In complex games like MMORPGs, manually designing unique gameplay and storylines for every minor role is impossible. However, AI can bridge that gap. We are approaching a future where AI can generate meaningful narratives and mechanics for any perspective in a game world—letting you live the life of a shopkeeper, a goblin, or a background NPC—effectively making the shelf life of a single game infinite.

Open Source

Mice is now open source. You can view the code, contribute, or fork your own version on GitHub.

This project is a proof of concept: a new perspective on an old friend.