Jason Rohrer is something of a Renaissance man. He wears many hats, from programmer, to writer, to musician, to game designer. His latest game, One Hour One Life, covers the full breadth of his talents.
Of the Players, By the Players, For the Players
The premise behind One Hour One Life is simple: players can live an entire life in one hour, from birth to death. You must work with one another if you’re to survive and make the most of your short existences.
By design, it’s difficult to do anything on your own. Players spawn into the game as one of two options: babies or Eves. As an Eve, you’re a fully grown woman that gives birth to babies (other players). The babies are completely dependent on adult women for survival, as they can only subsist off of breast milk.
Because each life is so short, One Hour One Life emphasizes leaving things behind for future generations to continue your work. Rohrer, the lone developer, has integrated a sprawling tech tree that requires vast amounts of time and resources. Only through cooperation can your society advance.
One Hour One Life follows the track of human civilization throughout the ages. The game is currently somewhere in the Neolithic Era, with players foraging for food and crafting rudimentary tools. Between Rohrer’s constant updates and a heavily active userbase, only time will tell how far the players make it as a civilization.
