Running Out of Ink: Limited Spaces

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Running Out of Ink’s pilot anthology features everything from existentially depressed woodland creatures to haunted funeral home owners.

In August 2021, the International Game Developer Association Foundation, or IGDA-F, brought together its second all-digital cohort of scholars to participate in an intensive six-week mentorship program. Before the month was out, the wheels were in motion for what would become Running Out of Ink, a collective narrative anthology created by early career game developers. The impetus was clear: getting into the games industry is notoriously difficult, particularly so if one does not live in a game industry hub like Los Angeles or London. Add to that barriers like low-income instability, systemic racism, and gender discrimination and many of the diverse participants in the IGDA-F’s Scholars program felt frustrated at the doors closing in their faces. A group of these developers came together to create something larger than any one of them could produce alone – an anthology of games that would amplify their voices.

Inspired by anthologies like Cartomancy, the group set out to produce, execute, and market their games as a collective, working on stories inspired by the theme ‘limited spaces’. Each of the games takes place in one primary location, though all explore very different topics, ranging from generational trauma to a meta exploration of storytelling.

While the project cannot accept donations as a group, we encourage players to tip individual authors via the links provided here.

• Lead Producer: Mido Kalash
• Product Owner, Producer & Developer: Rose Behar
• Producer & Developer: Oneeb Bin Nauman
• Social Media Lead & Brand Creative: Nadine Rodriguez
• Marketing: Valencia Coleman
• Logo Creation: CD Libine
• Creators: Arthur Cavalcanti, Paulus Hauwanga, CD Libine, Rose Behar, Nadine Rodriguez, Valencia Coleman, Oneeb Bin Nauman, Anthony O.
• Special thanks to Sam and Jason.
• Thanks to all creators and helpers involved!

a housecat knows when it’s time is a linear, horror-inspired narrative game inviting players to become a young woman, who has recently inherited her family’s funeral home out in the Florida Keys, handling sudden isolation due to a storm. Taking inspiration from books such as House of Leaves and movies such as Hereditary, at its core, a housecat knows when it’s time picks up and gazes at familial relations, and investigates the way grief can quietly transcend generations. 

As you start university, there's a lot on your mind. Relationships, friendships, your classes. And... a new roommate? Wait, what roommate? And… are they a ghost?

There’s A Ghost In Your Room is a text-only interactive fiction game about one young student and their ghostly roommate. Through the supernatural element, this game talks about what it’s like to be yourself, about breaking free from toxic influences and developing new friendships.

Working Stuck Inside is a short story about a writer stuck in her apartment during a blizzard. While she’s stuck, she has 3 days to write a short story, but she actually keeps procrastinating. I wanted to make something short, sweet and replayable that has a very likable main character and ends with a short compelling story that changes depending on what you decide the writer does during those crucial three days.

Jean Walnutte, a depressed chipmunk writing a history book, has checked herself into high-end resort The Up Here to finish her manuscript – but finds herself plagued by an existential crisis that causes extreme dizziness. Can she survive the dark corridors of her own tiny mind?

The self-hating lovechild of Jean-Paul Sartre and Wes Anderson, The Up Here is, well… it just is, and beyond that it can guarantee nothing. Enjoy choosing whether to play this game or not. I, for one, would not.

There is a door in the forest behind your childhood home. Hidden behind thick layers of vine and moss, you can find no record of its purpose, owners, or even its existence. Now an adult, you return to find out what lies beyond the rusted metal, and how it came to be there.

This is a narrative-driven game that has a focus on limited space, and how love twisted by obsession and being stuck in grief can cause more harm than good.

Dream Park is a mini game set in a children’s playground. The world has a litter problem, Dream Park teaches kids to be responsible by cleaning up and contributing to an eco-friendly world with less litter. As a player, clean up all garbage from the park before children visit the park to play. Clean is beautiful, for the heart and soul. 

*Now available! Added March 18, 2022*

Everyone has hobbies. Some people bake, others play a musical instrument, some people collect a certain type of object. Desmond collects cassette tapes - mostly music. They can store many things; songs, videos, memories... or something else entirely.

Cornelia is an everyday struggling 16-year-old high schoolers. One day at work, she meets Zack, the quarterback of the football team. Little did she know this encounter will change her life.

This text-based dark comedy game that was inspired by the movie, Ready or Not. In the demo, I want the player to get a hooked on the story and wonder what is going to happen next in the story. Also, I wanted to introduce the main character and her struggles to the player.