"My apartment" games

Recommendations by MathBrush

It's a trope in interactive fiction that first time author's tend to model their own home or apartment in detail as an experiment in programming.

To see if this trope is true, I've created a list of 'my apartment' games. Because in most cases it is impossible to verify that a home or apartment is an author's own, and because it makes the list more interesting, I've also included games that focus on exploring a single apartment or house and which could conceivably exist in real life. Many of the better games in this list were written as parodies or twists on 'my apartment' games.

The main criteria for being on the list is that gameplay focuses on wandering about and/or examining and using items in the house.

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1. Shade
by Andrew Plotkin
(2000)
Average member rating: (416 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A game that recreates an apartment in loving detail, with sinks, closet, showers, vacuum, computer, and more.

There's much more to the game than this, but a large portion of the game is exploring the apartment. A mid length game.

2. 9:05
by Adam Cadre
(2000)
Average member rating: (541 ratings)

MathBrush says:

About 2/3 of this game takes place in an apartment, with things like showering and clothes modeled. A short game.

3. 5 Minutes to Burn Something!
by Alex Butterfield
(2015)
Average member rating: (18 ratings)

MathBrush says:

This game models many parts of an apartment, including sinks, washer and dryer, clothes, fans, etc. The entire game takes place in the apartment. A mid length game.

4. All Alone, by Ian Finley (2000)
Average member rating: (69 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A short, creepy game that uses audio. Set entirely in an apartment with things like a TV, and oven, closets, etc. Most of the game consists of wandering around the apartment.

5. Allein mit Kai
by Ingo Scharmann and Joana Markus
(2010)
Average member rating: (3 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A german language game with an apartment lovingly rendered, including clothing, dressers, a balcony, sinks and tubs, etc. You are babysitting a terrible toddler.

6. Another Goddamn Escape the Locked Room Game, by Riff Conner (2006)
Average member rating: (17 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A game set entirely in an underground bunker with bathroom, cot, desk, etc.

7. Aunt Nancy's House, by Nate Schwartzman (1997)
Average member rating: (4 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A detailed rendering of the author's aunt's house. This is all it is. A short game, but has some subtle pathos.

8. The Blind House
by Amanda Allen
(2010)
Average member rating: (38 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A horror game set in a detailed house. Includes bathroom and bedroom settings, as well as a kitchen setting.

9. Candy, by Ryan Stevens (1997)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Rybread Celsius, aka Ryan Stevens, aka the dadaist artist of IF, did this game where you look for candy in a house.

10. Coming Home, by Andrew Katz (1997)
Average member rating: (2 ratings)
MathBrush says:

A short game, where you come home and get your mom to make you some food.

11. creak, creak
by chandler groover
(2015)
Average member rating: (34 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A micro game modeling a small house.

12. House of the Stalker, by Jason Clayton White (1996)
Average member rating: (4 ratings)
MathBrush says:

Escape your home before the stalker comes. Mid-length.

13. Little girl in the big world
by Peter Wendrich
(2003)
Average member rating: (6 ratings)

MathBrush says:

A homebrew parser about getting dressed and going out.

14. A Quiet Evening at Home
by Anonymous
(2010)
Average member rating: (20 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Get ready for bed by taking out the trash and eating dinner.

15. Snack Time!
by Hardy the Bulldog and Renee Choba
(2008)
Average member rating: (61 ratings)

MathBrush says:

As a dog in an apartment, get a snack.

16. Bullhockey!
by B F Lindsay
(2018)
Average member rating: (9 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Starts out in a richly-detailed copy of an apartment.

17. Closure
by Sarah Willson
(2021)
Average member rating: (30 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Technically, your ex's apartment. Well, actually your friends' ex's apartment.

18. A Walk Around the Neighborhood
by Leo Weinreb
(2022)
Average member rating: (19 ratings)

MathBrush says:

Try to get out of your house during Covid.

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