When I was in my senior year of college, I had a heavy course load, and was looking for something mindless and relaxing to do once I was done with classes and homework for the day. I noticed a link to an online game that a friend had posted on Facebook, and gave it a look out of curiosity.
Calling it a game really doesn’t do it justice, 99 Rooms is really more of an interactive piece of art. Developed from photography of abandoned spaces in East Berlin and released in 2004, it is an atmospheric point and click game that has players complete a task to advance through each room. It was the perfect distraction after a long hours of lectures and studying, simple to play, but eerie and immersive.
In my search to find more games like it, I stumbled upon the game review website jayisgames.com. It was a huge resource for online games, with reviews, tips and walk throughs. By combing the site I found many other unusual games to play, and I was hooked. Some were simple “on the rails” point and click experiences, and others were more challenging and interactive with multiple outcomes. I was hooked.
While researching this post, I was thrilled to discover the websites for 99 Rooms and Jay is Games are both still active. So for this week’s roundup I’ve included a link to 99 Rooms and 9 newer games that I’m looking forward to giving a try when I need a quick break from work or writing. Some require a PC and flash, while others are Mac and mobile device friendly.
The games I included fall into the category of horror, some like The Darkest Woods are meant to be truly scary, while others like 99 Rooms merely have an eerie atmosphere. If that’s not your style, visit Jay is Games and find the perfect game for you.
Everyday Strange 
Happy to read about this experience.I am also interested in knowing how playing these games impacted your life. Did they change you from the introvert that you were? How are you today as compared to your early days?
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I wouldn’t say they changed me from being an introvert, I just became more comfortable with my personality type. There were so many other people playing these games, it normalized being comfortable on my own.
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Thanks for sharing this experience.
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Thank you for reading!
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I really related to this, sense and sensibilities vibes. You’re a very me type of person! This really connected thanks! 🙂
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I used to play so many flash games, including 99 Rooms! I used Kongregate.com, but I agree that JayIsGames was also a good site. These days I have a lot less time than I used to so there’s less gaming going on unfortunately.
Btw, love the idea of the volunteer app you shared this week. I have a good friend from college with increasingly worse sight problems, and I’m glad apps like this exist to help.
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Thank you, I’m always glad to hear if a site I shared helps! Also glad to hear I wasn’t the only one who loved 99 Rooms!
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Happy to have come across this ❤
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Ohhh also please check this out
https://wp.me/p8cKvE-5m
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Oh, wow. This door leads to a whole new world! Ace!
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Yes! They are a nice escape.
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