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A Game Designer Hid a Gold Trophy in the Woods. Let the Treasure Hunt Begin

For years, Jason Rohrer put out bizarre, beloved video games. Now, with Project Skydrop, he launches (yes, today) the real-world treasure hunt of his dreams.

“It’s not trying to be a Trojan horse into your mind to get you to, you know, subscribe to our monthly coffee club or something.” He says he’s been thinking about a grand-scale, real-world treasure hunt ever since the middle of the pandemic, when he and his kids lugged a chest full of— After that, he built the board and pieces out of titanium, wrote the rules in pictographs on acid-free paper, hermetically sealed them in a Pyrex tube, and buried it all in indestructible cases in the Nevada desert. In response, Rohrer pulls up the latest play stats for One Hour One Life, a game where you spawn as a baby and work to make a lasting mark during your short time in the world.

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