Choke Machines, Baby Steps, and the Glorious Art of Screwing Up: A Bennett Foddy Deep Dive
AI Gaming News Author · Polygon ·
Gaming wizard Bennett Foddy, creator of *QWOP* and *Getting Over It*, continues his quest to make the mundane gloriously difficult with his upcoming 3D open-world game, *Baby Steps*. His unique approach to game design isn't about frustration, but rather celebrating the universal human pleasure of learning through spectacular failure, turning simple actions into compelling 'choke machines.'
Right then, gather 'round, mates. I've been tinkering with this story all morning, and bloody hell, it’s wilder than it first appeared. You know that feeling when you cast a spell, and it works a bit *too* well, or maybe not at all, but the chaos is utterly fascinating? That's pretty much the magic Bennett Foddy has been brewing for two decades, turning the simplest human actions into laugh-out-loud 'choke machines.' And his latest creation, *Baby Steps*, looks set to be his grandest spell yet.
Foddy, the mad genius behind games like *QWOP* and *Getting Over It*, isn't just making games; he's practically a digital alchemist, transmuting the mundane into the miraculously difficult. As brilliantly chronicled by Polygon's Giovanni Colantonio, who recently took a literal walk in Central Park with Foddy to discuss his illustrious career, the man has a singular obsession: the human body, its inherent fragility, and our often-hilarious failures.
Now, when you ask a bloke for his best walking tip, you'd expect something profound, right? Maybe a philosophical musing on the journey. Not Foddy. His sage advice? "Don't think about it." And honestly, coming from the bloke who created *QWOP*, that's pure, unadulterated gold. Remember *QWOP*? The Flash game from 2008 that had us all hammering Q, W, O, and P, trying to get a pixelated runner to do anything *but* face-plant? It was a masterclass in making the utterly simple, utterly impossible. It turned a 100-meter dash into a ballet of broken bones and shattered dignity, and we absolutely adored it. It felt like uncovering some secret, weird corner of the internet – a truly unique gaming experience before viral hits were commonplace.
Foddy's inspiration for this glorious brand of slapstick? A childhood memory of kids stumbling during slow Christmas service walks, hyper-aware of their movements and just... falling over. It's such a simple, yet profoundly human observation, isn't it? That moment when self-awareness sabotages basic motor functions. That's the essence of the 'choke machine' – something Foddy finds endlessly fascinating, like a wizard studying digital tea leaves for signs of impending player meltdown.
His journey to game development is equally as charmingly chaotic. From a kid in Australia, dreaming of making games but feeling "too dumb," to teaching himself Basic in the '90s, the breakthrough finally came with Flash and the indie dev blog TIGSource. It wasn't about being a programming prodigy, but about finding approachable tools and letting curiosity lead the way. It's a testament to the idea that sometimes, the most innovative stuff bubbles up from sheer amateurism and experimentation. Which, let's be fair, is a vibe we often chase in the wild west of Web3, isn't it? That raw, unfiltered, 'what happens if...' energy.
*QWOP*'s viral explosion wasn't immediate, mind. It simmered for two years before a content creator called Cr1TiKaL uploaded a Let's Play video that rocketed it into the stratosphere. Foddy, cleverly observant as ever, even chose to *not* update his website, preserving that wonderfully amateurish, 'found object' feel that made the game feel like a secret treasure unearthed from the internet's weirdest depths. It fostered a sense of discovery that's rare these days.
Years later, he doubled down on the deliberate frustration with *Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy* (2018). Remember the shirtless bloke in a pot, armed with a sledgehammer, inching his way up a perilous, impossible mountain? Any slight misstep, and *whoosh*, you're back at the bottom. It was maddening, yet strangely compelling, with Foddy's soothing voice narrating your failures, encouraging you to find peace in the struggle. It wasn't about getting good, he reckons, but about the *experience* of trying and failing. It's like a bizarre, digital Zen garden of self-improvement through agony.
And that's where we hit the true core of Foddy's work. It's not really just about walking, or even about failure. It's about the *pleasure in learning*. He compares it to playing *Bloodborne* – that cycle of being terrible, sucking a little less, getting better, taking a breath, forming a theory, and finally, making progress. His games are fantastic teachers, allowing us to screw up spectacularly, learn from the digital pratfalls, and feel the genuine elation of even minor mastery. That's a powerful thing, mate, to get to mastery so fast in a game, compared to the thousands of real-life hours it takes.
Now, this all leads us to *Baby Steps*, his most ambitious project yet. Teaming up with Gabe Cuzzillo (co-developer on *Ape Out*), the pitch was simple but audacious: "Imagine if *QWOP* but good." Good lord, the implications! A 3D open-world game, *Morrowind*-sized, with involved walking mechanics, ragdoll physics, and the potential for major progress loss. It’s an anti-hero’s journey starring a couch potato in a onesie, sucked into a dreary world, forced to traverse it with his atrophied legs. Foddy sees it as inverting traditional open-world tropes, satirizing the hyper-competent heroes we usually control. Why not make a game about someone who *struggles* with something everyone expects to be good at? It's a clever jab at the gaming industry's obsession with power fantasies.
Foddy even draws parallels between his games and *golf*. Yeah, *golf*! He's not even a golfer himself, which is the ultimate punchline, but he sees golf as the ultimate 'choke machine.' That moment when you *know* you're about to screw up, even before it happens – that's the essence of choking, and it's something his games are designed to evoke. It's a brilliant observation, really, showing how a designer can spot patterns in seemingly disparate activities and distill them into compelling game mechanics.
Ultimately, Foddy's career is a testament to the indie spirit: constantly learning, wearing many hats, embracing the unknown. It's a path for the truly curious, the ones who aren't afraid to stumble, learn, and then build an entire game around that very process. Much like that family in the rowboat, spinning in circles, then finally getting the hang of it and rowing off into the distance – Foddy's games are about that fundamental, glorious human experience of learning to walk, even if you keep falling over.
So, next time you're cursing your digital avatar for tripping over a pebble, just remember Bennett Foddy. He's probably chuckling, knowing you're right on the verge of either a magnificent choke or, perhaps, a moment of profound learning. And honestly, mate, isn't that what gaming's all about?
Tags: indie games, game design, Bennett Foddy, Baby Steps, QWOP
Original article: Polygon