itch.io

I get it, you don’t like generative AI. That’s a valid stance and I respect it. Still, it has nothing to do with Do Not Read This Journal, and I don’t want to drag this out any further. Thank you for your input.

I respect your stance, but I don’t share the view that there’s no ethical use for generative AI. Like any tool, it depends on how and where it’s applied, and I’ve been transparent about the very limited ways I’ve used it (excluding Do Not Read This Journal, which was published long before AI was even a thing). I appreciate your feedback, even if we disagree, though it saddens me to see all of my effort and creativity dismissed in such absolute terms.

Please feel free to reach out for a free copy of all my games, so you can judge my work for yourself before forming a final opinion.

Do Not Read This Journal was published five years ago, long before AI tools like ChatGPT were even available, so I can assure you it is entirely human-made. My other game, Do Not Access This Log, did include 2 AI-generated images, which I clearly disclosed on the game page. Aside from those, none of my games involve AI.

And as the name suggests, it’s a “playtest.” It doesn’t always represent the final state of a project.

Do Not Read This Journal was published five years ago, long before AI tools like ChatGPT were even available, so I can assure you it is entirely human-made. My other game, Do Not Access This Log, did include a couple of AI-generated images, which I clearly disclosed on the game page. I sometimes use AI for image generation or light proofreading, but aside from those cases, none of my games involve AI.

AI bs :)

Hello everyone,

I’m looking for play testers for my upcoming journaling game Do Not Read This Dossier, a paranormal conspiracy experience inspired by The X-Files.

Some of you may know my previous projects — Do Not Read This Journal and Do Not Access This Log. Both were warmly received, and Do Not Read This Journal has even been translated into four different languages by fans.

For this new game, I need players who enjoy writing and want to test-drive the mechanics, prompts, and overall flow. If you’re interested, please contact me at cagriakyurt@gmail.com.

As a thank you, everyone who joins the playtest will also receive free copies of my two previous games.

Trust no one… but maybe trust me enough to send an email.

— Cagri

Glad you like it!

Looking forward to seeing how it turns out <3

Yes, "discard" means returning the cards to the deck. If you draw the same card more than once and don’t want to rewrite its prompt, you can skip it or swap it for another random card from the deck.

I’m so glad you enjoyed the experience! While I don’t have a subreddit yet, I encourage you to share your final journals with the community on social media. I’d love to see what you’ve created!

Have fun and please share the final result!

Hey there! I have no idea. Can you get in touch with itch about the issue? If they can't help, please get in touch with me via Twitter or Reddit (links in the description) and I'll sort it out.

Thanks for that!

There is nothing that forces anything in the game, including the prompts. So again, you can play it as collaborative as you want. For example, you can get together with friends, brainstorm on ideas and then carry them to your journal.

The term "collaboration" doesn't require you to be in the same space at the same time :) It's all about creating something together. Also, DNRTJ is not necessarily a collaborative game, it's a solo journaling game :)

Thank you so much for sharing this <3

Beautiful athmosphere!

Glad you like it. Please let me know when you publish your game!

Wow, 6 months? I'd love to see your journals!

Works great!

That's the good part, you don't need to put anything. Just make the price $0 and write the quantity you want and itch.io will create claimable links itself, whenever someone wants to claim it. Look at my game page for an example (created as a free community copy)

I'd love a claim link as well, if possible. Also here's an idea: You can create a "Reward & Exclusive Content" section for your game, following "Edit game -> More -> Rewards" and add a free reward section to your game. It is claimable, so you don't need to post claim links all the time :)

Amazing little game.

That's amazing!

I've created a playlist for my game, Do not read this journal! to help the players get in the mood. It's mainly ritual ambient and horror ambient.

Love the idea!

Is it ok to submit a game which is released before the jam?

Haha, I feel you ;)

Well that's weird. Maybe it's not that suitable for online journaling :)

I'm so interested to see this :)

Just started playing it and enjoying it so much.

Thank you so much for that <3 You don't need to print it to start, you can just use your computer. And if you need cards, you can use this random card picker. All you need to start is a journal and a pen/cil.

This is an amazing idea. The text is well written and it definitely makes you feel paranoid only by reading it.

Any free copies/community copies available for jam participants?

Hey everyone! I hope everything goes well for you guys and your game. Here is mine, available here: Do not read this journal!

I was inpired from a journal I've found like 20 years ago on my front door during a storm. It was the journal of a soldier from 70s, where he was telling about the hardships of war, day by day. After almost 20 years later, I'm still thinking about the journal a lot. I'm thinking how it ended up on my door, i think if it is a genuine journal of a soldier, I think about the owner of the journal... With "Do not read this journal!", I tried to recreate the same feeling, but with the addition of paranoia and fear. At the end of the game, you'll have a journal full of paranormal experiences, scary doodles, automatic writings and much more. This will be your chance to make someone experience a genuine mystery for years. 

There are free community copies available at the game page and I'm updating them frequently. So please grab one if you're interested and let me know what you think.

Good luck with your game!

That's an amazing way to use the cards! As mentioned in the rules, the cards are there to inspire you :)

And I'm ok by the way. At least for now...