Resources: ideas, guides and the odd terrible pun
Long-form guides for making people feel special: gift ideas that aren’t a mug, postcards worth sending, birthday plans, long-distance gestures and step-by-step help with your game.
Latest
Digital postcard ideas: 30 ways to send a postcard people actually answer
30 digital postcard ideas with examples, from holiday snaps and uni updates to soppy notes, group relays and postcards you can play. · 10 min read 🛠️ become.games how-to guidesHow to make a personalised video game gift (no coding, about five minutes)
The complete walkthrough for making a personalised video game gift: four steps, every decision, honest costs and the mistakes to avoid. · 12 min read 📮 Digital postcardsE-card vs digital postcard: what's the difference, and which should you send?
The real difference between an e-card, a digital postcard and a playable postcard, with a comparison table and when to send each. · 9 min readDigital postcards
All 5 guides →A good postcard says three things: where you are, that you thought of them, and one small detail only they would get. These guides cover all three, from what to write on the back to sending a “Greetings from…” game they can play on their phone, complete with chip-thieving seagulls and a postcard ending with your message on the back.
Digital postcard ideas: 30 ways to send a postcard people actually answer
30 digital postcard ideas with examples, from holiday snaps and uni updates to soppy notes, group relays and postcards you can play. · 10 min readE-card vs digital postcard: what's the difference, and which should you send?
The real difference between an e-card, a digital postcard and a playable postcard, with a comparison table and when to send each. · 9 min readA holiday postcard you can play: how to send one from your trip
A practical guide to sending a playable holiday postcard from your trip: when to send it, how to make it on your phone and who'll love it most. · 11 min readA postcard from home for someone living abroad
How to send a playable postcard from home to an expat, student or gap-year traveller, with ideas by situation, timing tips and family projects. · 10 min readWhat to write on a postcard: 70 example lines for every kind of trip
A simple formula and 70 ready-to-use postcard lines, from classic and funny to soppy, plus sign-offs and what not to write. · 10 min readPersonalised gift ideas
All 2 guides →The best presents are the ones that could only be for that person. These guides go beyond “a mug with their name on it” with specific ideas for people who are hard to buy for, people you left until the last minute, and everyone in between.
Personalised gifts for someone who has everything: 30 ideas they can't buy themselves
30 personalised gift ideas for the impossible person: memory gifts, experiences, in-jokes, homemade and digital, sorted by budget and effort. · 11 min readLast-minute digital gifts that don't look last-minute
Gift ideas you can sort in under an hour that don't feel rushed, plus a 60, 15 and 5 minute plan and how to present them. · 8 min readBirthday ideas
All 2 guides →Birthdays come round every year, which is exactly why the same card and the same bottle stop working. These guides are full of specific, kind and slightly silly ideas for every age, including the big ones.
Milestone birthday ideas: 18th, 21st, 30th, 40th, 50th, 60th, 70th, 80th and beyond
Party, gift and gesture ideas for every big birthday from 18 to 100, with a game set-up for each age and tips for rounding up friends. · 10 min readFunny birthday surprise ideas: 28 kind ones that get a proper laugh
28 funny, kind birthday surprises for partners, friends, coworkers, parents and kids, with effort and cost for each and tips to keep them secret. · 9 min readAnniversaries & Valentine’s
All 1 guide →Romantic gifts are easy to get generic. These guides help you make them specific: the right gift for the year you’re celebrating, the in-jokes only the two of you get, and how to turn your story into something they can play.
Long distance & “miss you”
All 2 guides →Distance is hard on everyone: couples, best friends, grandparents and the kids who moved away. These guides are about small, regular gestures and the occasional big one that make someone feel close, wherever they are.
Long distance relationship gift ideas: 30+ ways to shrink the miles
Over 30 long-distance gift ideas, from open-when letters and countdowns to call dates and a game where you wait at the top. · 10 min readMiss you gift ideas: small gestures and thoughtful gifts for people far away
Miss you and thinking of you ideas for friends and family far away, from voice notes and snack parcels to a playable postcard from home. · 8 min readFamily & grandparents
All 1 guide →From the weekly video call to the Christmas group chat, families need easy ways to stay close. These guides are full of ideas that work for every generation, including the grandparent who only just learnt what a link is.
Kids & parents
All 1 guide →Kids love being the hero. Parents love knowing exactly where the photos go. These guides cover both: the fun ideas and the plain-English rules (under-13s can’t make accounts, so a parent or guardian makes the game).
Office, leaving dos & Secret Santa
All 1 guide →Work occasions are a tightrope: funny enough to be memorable, kind enough that HR never hears about it. These guides help you get the balance right, from the leaving collection to the Secret Santa budget.
become.games how-to guides
All 5 guides →Everything you need to make a game you’re proud of, step by step: choosing the style, picking photos and casting your people, writing the jokes, and getting the link to the right person at the right moment.
How to make a personalised video game gift (no coding, about five minutes)
The complete walkthrough for making a personalised video game gift: four steps, every decision, honest costs and the mistakes to avoid. · 12 min readWhich game style to choose? All ten styles compared
Flappy flyer, platformer, arena battle, story climber, endless runner, kart racer, beat-'em-up, survival, escape room or Quest RPG? An honest comparison of feel and fit. · 17 min readCheeky mode vs family mode: which one should your game use?
What family mode and cheeky mode each include, who can use cheeky mode, and how to decide which tone suits your game and its audience. · 7 min readHow to share your game: WhatsApp, QR codes, big reveals and leaderboards
Every way to send your game, from a QR code in a birthday card to a midnight WhatsApp, plus how to get the leaderboard going. · 11 min readCasting your people: photo tips and who should play who
How to choose photos for your cartoon characters, get everyone's OK and cast the hero, the boss and the cameo fly-bys. · 8 min readExplainers
All 1 guide →The thinking behind the silliness. Short, honest explainers about games, gifts and why the personal ones stick.
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