‘Shutterbug’ uses your browser window to create the perfect photo

Shutterbug changes and resizes your browser window, allowing you to take great photos of the cute little insects in the forest.

Dad broke your camera, but don’t worry, he’s fixed it so you can still take photos with some brand new technology that’s built to scale. That’s the story behind this GMTK Game Jam 2024 entry from Rianna Suen, Dan Emmerson, and Dan Pugsley (both sure candidates for smartest-in-the-room). In this one, you resize your browser window (meaning it only works on desktop computers) and move it over your main screen to get a great shot of the various insects and little critters that are currently roaming around.

You proceed to take nine photos, each of which requires certain insects and must also be of a certain type: portrait, landscape, or square. You also often have to make sure that no other, specific insect appears in the photo. What you are left with is a few minutes of resisting the urge to use your mouse or keyboard to pan the browser, instead resizing it to find the little critters you need—almost as if you were creating a window through your main monitor.

It’s incredibly clever, especially for the modern age, considering that, outside of games like Rusty’s retirementthe idea of ​​a part desktop/window game is a novelty. it’s beautifully done and feels both intuitive and new, but above all it’s incredibly approachable and warm. there’s a familiarity in looking at insects, in studying a small insect world… it brings back memories of simpler times.

I especially like that at the end you get to see all the pictures you took. While I doubt many people would download the pictures, I’d like to think that someone, somewhere, would share the game and the pictures with a family member or friend, and rave about how cool it is and the potential for so many different worlds and settings for this kind of thing.

Shutterbug is now playable (for free) on itch.io.

About the author

Dan Sullivan

After nearly a decade of selling games, Dann decided to try his hand at writing about them instead. A few years later, he’s the founder and editor-in-chief of Big Boss Battle, where he and his team cover games of all shapes and sizes. When he’s not in that role, he’s often on the hunt for small, memorable gaming experiences.