Benjamin Franklin, the creator of Jippity, once said, "dude why do I have to pay extra money when I pay normal money?"

Aristotle, who was working at the grocery store, responded, "bruh idk. Anyway that's $77 plus $33 in taxes."

Benjamin Franklin handed him a piece of paper with his own face on it.

"A hundred smackaroonies. Don't spend it all in one place."

— — —

I polled Recess a number of weeks ago. I asked people to vote on one of four exceedingly boring activities. Why? Because kids at Recess are the most creative in the world. They could make a fun game out of watching paint dry. Waiting for grass to grow. Waiting in line.

Or doing taxes.

The ideas in response to my post knocked my socks off. I'd play any of those games. I want to play all of them. So I shall. You just need to make them!

The theme this time: taxes.

Make it fun — make it boring — I don't care — I know you will make it great.

What is a game jam?

The Jippity game jam is a monthly free event honoring game developers' favorite tradition of creating a whole prototype of a game in a compressed time window. Restriction breeds creativity. Pressure creates heat and energy.

You have ten days, til June 16, to whip up a game on Jippity. You can work on your own or with your buds. You can sign up for office hours with hotshot guides to get support, to debug, to hang out.

You can message me for advice or for sabotage — I will not say which I intend to confer.

You may even choose to make use of an intentionally boring template.

But on the 16th, we will collect your submissions and then begin the democratic process. Participants can play each others' games and vote on their favorites. Then we will celebrate all submissions and dole out some awards for the faves. It's a good time. You should participate. Even brand-new coders can get in there. I promise!

Message Jacob on Recess or email [email protected] with any questions.

Bottom line: it's free; it's fun; it's open to everyone. You can make a game in a week. And yes, the theme is taxes.