A personalized video game where they are the hero
A personalized video game puts the person you love in the lead role, with their face, their jokes and their story. You can pay a freelancer, build it yourself with a game engine, or make one from a photo in Roam, a free iPhone app. Here is how the options compare, plus gift ideas by occasion.
Your options compared
- Hire a freelancer. Custom game gigs on Fiverr run from tens to hundreds of dollars. You get a game made to order, but plan for back-and-forth and wait days or weeks.
- Build it yourself. Free tools like Scratch or GDevelop let you make it by hand. It is the most personal, and it takes many evenings if you are new.
- Make it in Roam. Start from a photo of the person and one sentence. It comes back playable, you change it by talking, then send it. Free, on iPhone.
Gift ideas by occasion
- Birthday. They collect candles across their hometown. Try: "my friend from this photo collects 30 birthday candles across our town, the cake is the boss"
- Anniversary. Your story as levels: first meeting, first trip, the move. Try: "our relationship as 3 levels, the café where we met, our first trip, our flat, us from this photo"
- Father's Day. Dad defends the grill from the family. Try: "dad from this photo defends the barbecue, the family steals sausages"
- Retirement. Their last day at work as a victory lap. Try: "my colleague's last day at work as an obby, every desk is a checkpoint"
- Wedding. Guests race to catch the bouquet. Try: "wedding party game, guests race to catch the bouquet, the couple from this photo throw it"
- Best friend. Your inside joke as a boss fight. Try: "my best friend from this photo vs the seagull that stole his chips, boss fight on the beach"
Make it feel personal
Use one real detail per level: their street, their pet's name, the snack they always buy. Keep the game short, three to five minutes, so they finish it and show it to someone. And try it yourself before you send it.
Make a personalized game with Roam
Take a photo of the person, write a sentence with one real detail about them, and play it first. Then send them the game.
Try: "my friend from this photo collects 30 birthday candles across our town, his dog follows him, the cake is the final boss"Questions people ask
How much does a custom video game cost?
Freelance custom game gigs often cost from tens to hundreds of dollars. Making one yourself in Roam is free.
Can you put someone's face in a video game?
Yes. On Roam you can start from a photo of the person and the game is built around them. Ask them first if it is not a surprise gift.
What is a good personalized gift for a gamer?
A short game where they are the hero, built around an inside joke, is more personal than another store gift card.
Keep exploring
- Make a birthday game starring the birthday person
- Make a game for your girlfriend from your own story
- How to make a game about yourself
- I have an idea for a game. Now what?
- Make me a game: how to ask so you get the one you want
- Can AI make a game for me? Yes, two very different ways
More on Roam: All Roam games Games to play, by kind