Archive of Cool Things

Issue #2: Space to Play

We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing. This issue was inspired by Brian Amin’s submission (last one in this issue): a documentary about the growing board game subculture. It reminded me of the value of play in a world often defined by productivity. In the entries, I hope you find interesting spaces to play to help your inner child come home. - Sabrina


"You get to act as a detective and really think out cases! The website is layed out nicely, is easy to understand and it really gets you thinking!"

— Space

A Sweet Documentary
"I just watched it this year! It's a great documentary that covers stories from the very large and growing board game communities. The past couple years, I've also have wonderfully fell into this community and have found it so interesting what the act of play can do for adults"

— Brian Amin

Process through Play
"i made this game to facilitate conversations around grief and loss. i think it's still underappreciated"

— jubnuggets

"I love simple games; they’re easy to pick up and even easier to share. However, I started worrying that all simple games were doomed to be clones. These games by .i proved how silly that worry was."

— Sabrina

Riding the Rebus
"I love little games you can play on the internet and this is one of them! It reminds me of playing games online during school :)"

— Eva S.

A Fool for Pool
"Cool little browser based single player game that mashes 2048 with pool"

— Maxx

"Way To Go (PC only) is a fun little experience or sort-of game; in the words of its creators, it is “a walk through strange country—strange, familiar, remembered, forgotten… the trees will change their shape, and the sky will widen. And you will fly.” (see www.aatoaa.com/waytogo)"

— 𝕶𝖎𝖓𝖌𝙶𝚛𝚎𝚎𝚗𝚋𝚎𝚊𝚗!

Can you Count the Ways?
"The Wordle of Math"

— Matthew

"These Java mazes are fun and simple"

— Retro addict


Issue #1: Hidden Worlds

This inaugural issue wasn’t supposed to have a theme, but as I looked at the first batch of cool things proposed by my coworkers, I found that we were all drawn to work that reflected the world with a new perspective. Some of them were silly, others serious. Idk, I just hope you enjoy! - Sabrina


"I love Dropout.tv because it is truly and deeply committed to weird and wonderful things. This may just be the weirdest and wonderfulest thing thus far. "

— Sabrina

The Sixth Extinction
"I came expecting beautiful, awe-inspiring nature photography, and while this exhibit delivers that, it does something more. These photographs changed my worldview and have stuck with me ever since."

— Melissa

"I’ve seen so much of these behind the scenes, but never thought to wonder who was making them, and the story is so much more genuinely interesting than I expected"

— Joe

A World Behind Cafe Receipts
"Looking at the little doodle stories on this site makes me feel warm inside. It’s a reminder of the small, overlooked joys in life. A peek into a thought, a dream, a moment of someone’s day on something you’d normally throw away!"

— Joy Producer