Our Mission

Started in June 2023, Mystery Gamedev is an exclusive community dedicated to connecting and supporting fans and developers of mystery-themed video games.

We provide tools, information, and resources for mystery game development, and we promote mystery games to fans searching for their next favorite game.

If this sounds exciting, please join our Discord server and subscribe to our weekly newsletter!

Why make mystery games?

Mysteries are more popular than ever!

• True crime videos are getting millions of views on YouTube
• Mystery shows are getting hundreds of millions of views on Netflix
• High-profile courtroom trials are livestreamed and talked about everywhere
• Real-life escape rooms are literally booming in popularity

Yet, less than 1% of all games on itch.io are tagged as Mystery games!

And Steam is not much better, with only 7% tagged Mystery and 2% tagged Detective.

There is a serious demand for mystery games. But nobody is making them, and nobody can find them... until now.

Mystery games also provide mental health benefits that other games simply can't compete on.

They don't tell people what to think, but instead teach people how to think.

In a society increasingly built on lies, fake news, and misinformation, the pursuit of truth is more important than ever.

When you choose to make a mystery game, you can have a seriously profound impact on the people who play them.

What are mystery games?

Mystery games are a unique combination of story and puzzle, in which players make deductions to pursue the truth.

They come in a variety of sub-genres, including:

• Detective games, focused on investigating and solving a mystery or crime.
• Courtroom games, focused on conflicts in court between legal professionals.
• Death games, where characters participate in a survival game where elimination means death.
• Escape games, where you are trapped in a confined space and must solve puzzles to get out.
• Ontological mysteries, which seek to understand the nature of an unfamiliar environment.
• Battles of wits, where characters or players must outwit each other.

If you're new to mystery games, start by reading this ultimate guide.

Who created Mystery Gamedev?

Anton Strickland, better known online as Kinjo Goldbar.

Kinjo first taught himself how to make games at 12 years old. Ten years later, he graduated university with a Computer Science degree while running his company Goldbar Games on the side, and released Detective Butler: Maiden Voyage Murder, a mystery visual novel with hundreds of positive reviews.

His interests include entrepreneurship, technology, and finance. In his spare time, he enjoys watching mystery/thriller movies, listening to true crime podcasts, and reading court documents.

Kinjo strongly believes in the pursuit of truth and the role technology and games have in it:

• The truth will be created and manipulated using generative AI systems
• The truth will be determined through blockchain-based consensus mechanisms
• The truth (and reality itself) will be perceived through VR/AR/XR interfaces

Even if we don't always agree on what the truth is, as long as we do agree that the truth is at least worth pursuing, we will eventually find it.

That's why he is committed to building a platform that enables developers to create mystery games and connect with the people who want to play them. He can't do this alone. Mystery Gamedev would be nothing without people like you.

What has Mystery Gamedev accomplished so far?

• Members of the community worked together to create the Halloween-themed whodunnit Reaplaced for the Spooktober 2023 Game Jam. The game won 3rd place, also won Best Soundtrack, and was nominated for Best Character Design.
• Over 150 people registered for the Mystery Game Jam, an event dedicated to creating mystery games in under 30 days, resulting in 24 new mystery games.
• Nearly 100 weekly readers of our newsletter and over 300 members of our Discord commmunity.
• Exclusive podcast interviews with developers from popular and upcoming mystery games.
• And many more accomplishments yet to come!

Sounds great! How can I join?

Create an account and login to get started!

This site is still a work in progress, but we have many exciting plans.

From your account dashboard, you will be able to:

• Search and discover new mystery games
• Rate and review each game
• Share your experiences with other gamers
• Participate in exclusive community events
• Learn how to make your own mystery games
• And much more!

Please look forward to it, and we hope you enjoy!