BEFORE THE WORMS

Before the Worms is a game that uses horror as a metaphor to build a stark ethical backdrop for the choices of the characters. 

It is a game about resisting the corruption offered with a smile by systems of exploitation.

The whisper: if you stay quiet, if you remain compliant and complicit, if you look away from the cruelty, you will not only be made safe, but be rewarded. 

The temptation: if you obey, if you give in, everything will be easier, clearer, simpler. You will be right. You will be righteous. You will win.  

The threat: resistance will cost too much, will take from you everything you hold dear.

The seduction of despair:  The fight is already lost. There is no hope. So it is pointless to even try. 

And it is a game about the fact that evil, ultimately, does not live in alien gods, wicked demons, or bad people somewhere outside of us. 

It lives in the mirror. 

The bargain of the Worm is offered by your own hand. 

By your own mind. 

Your own voice.

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In Before the Worms, you play as a handful of everyday people who have encountered the horrifying truth of the Worms. They are a parasitic corruption of the psyche. A cancer of the soul. They hollow people out and twist them into horrific mockeries of what they once were. But the Worms don't come from the stars, or from Hell, or from the abyssal depths of the ocean. They come from inside us. They're everywhere. In everyone. 

They are in you, too.

You have seen the Worms. And you have chosen to resist. Chosen to hold on to your humanity. 

But for how long? 

The game, by default, is set in contemporary North America. Its world is our world. This is not a game of supernatural powers or magical solutions. There are no quick fixes. No ancient tome will banish the Worms. There is no way to keep your hands clean. There are no easy answers. No alien gods, no wicked demons. There’s only us. Us and our choices. 

Us and the Worms.

Within this frame, the game could be set in any place, at any time. The Worms have been with us for as long as there have been people to corrupt and systems to exploit. Because the system works for them. People don't just ignore the Worms. People admire them. Aspire to be like them.

But not you. Not yet. The Worms will never be defeated and yet, still, you resist. And pay the price. 

What will you burn to hold on to who you are?

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Content Warnings:

Before the Worms is recommended for mature players who wish to explore emotionally intense subject matter. The game engages sincerely with themes of:

• Emotional and psychological trauma
• Psychological manipulation
• Systemic violence, institutional abuse, and exploitation
• Complicity, ethical compromise, and moral corruption
• Personal and relational sacrifice, loss, and tragedy
• Self-destruction, self-betrayal, and loss of agency
• Body horror (specifically, worms and parasitism used as metaphor)
• Physical violence and cruelty
• It contains metaphors that resemble cult behavior and indoctrination
• It also metaphorically reflects (though does not directly depict) patterns of abuse, grooming, intimate partner violence, and gaslighting

Though the text contains disturbing imagery and grapples with intense subject matter, it does not directly depict graphic violence. 

It does not depict sexual abuse. 

Though this game focuses its horror on human violence and cruelty, pains have been taken to ensure that these depictions are not gratuitous. The game treats this subject matter seriously, and centers player support through explicit safety tools and rituals.  

This is not a game about despair. Though it centers trauma and cruelty, it is not about evil. It is about we choose to do in the face of it. 

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Author AI Usage Disclosure:

This text is original prose written and laid out by me. The system is an original design (though drawing from the lineage of games like Cthulhu Dark and Ten Candles). The artwork is composed from public domain images and royalty-free photos sourced from Unsplash. All photographers are credited in the text. 

I did use ChatGPT throughout the process as a design  assistant, thoughtful  interlocutor, and editorial sparring partner who would never tire of my obsession with game design. I showed it drafts and it gave me feedback, but I specifically instructed the system not to rewrite things for me.

Thus, I have listed this work as not containing the output of Generative AI, since the creative labor was mine. My interaction with AI was similar to one I would have with a trusted peer whom I asked for insight and critique. It was an significant aid to the process, but I took care not to let it become a replacement for my voice. 

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Sharing and Support:

This game is offered freely, as a gift to the community. The suggested donation amount reflects the time and care that went into the work. But I do not want money to be a barrier to anyone who is interested in the game. If you can't afford to donate, please take it, free, gratis, and without obligation. If you don't wish to donate immediately, please do download it and take it for a test drive.

I would truly love to hear from anyone who finds this game meaningful, useful, or intriguing. It would make my day to hear your play reports. And if you have any questions, concerns, or critiques to share, I would love to hear them as well. The game is still in development, and any feedback is helpful.