Personalized video game facts for kids

A personalized video game is a special video game made just for one or a few specific people. It's often given as a unique and fancy gift. These games can include details about the person they are for, making them super unique. People often give them for birthdays, anniversaries, or even proposals.

History of Personalized Games

Personalized video games started appearing as luxury gifts not long after video games became popular.

Early Examples

One famous example involved filmmaker Kevin Smith. He gave a special game to actors Ben Affleck and Jennifer Lopez. In this game, Jennifer Lopez had to find and rescue Ben Affleck from a kidnapping.

Companies Making Personalized Games

• Amuse Me: This was one of the first companies to offer personalized games professionally. Abdel Bounane started it in 2011. These games were made by hand and could cost a lot of money, sometimes up to $67,000! An artist from Amuse Me once said that their games were like having a painter create a portrait just for you.
• Greeting Games: In 2014, a company called TinglyGames from the Netherlands launched Greeting Games. This service let people create and send simple, fun games as e-cards to their friends and family.
• HEART2GAME: An Australian game studio, Amelus Digital, started HEART2GAME in 2017. They create games by hand for many different events. At first, they only made games for romantic occasions, but they expanded in 2018.
• Bday Game: Petr Hudecek started Bday Game in 2018. This service creates personalized pixel-art role-playing games (RPGs) by hand.

Freelance Game Developers

Today, many independent game developers also offer personalized video game services. You can find them on websites like Fiverr, where they create custom games for a lower cost.