Half A Headline

Inspiration

We’ve always been fascinated by how truth is often stranger than fiction—especially in the news! Ever read a headline that sounds completely made up, only to realize it actually happened? That’s the kind of mind-blowing absurdity we wanted to turn into a game.

With the endless supply of bizarre-but-real headlines from r/nottheonion, we saw the perfect opportunity:

❓ What if you had to guess how these headlines really end—while an AI tries to fool you?

What it does

Half a Headline is a fast, hilarious news trivia game where you're given a real headline… but it’s been cut off! Your goal? Guess the correct ending from four possible choices. But make it quick!

⚠️ Beware! OpenAI’s API generates some wildly believable fake endings to throw you off.

🏆 Ten headlines. Ten chances. The faster you answer, the higher you climb on the leaderboard!

How we built it

📰 Headline Selection:

r/nottheonion headlines are parsed from categories like "Top News", "Hottest" or "Rising News".
The game randomly selects a headline, chops it at a suspenseful moment, and prepares it for the AI’s trickery.

🧠 AI-Generated Fake Endings:

Using OpenAI’s API, the system generates three believable but fake endings to match the real one.
The AI is fine-tuned to ensure the fake endings sound just as ridiculous (or plausible!) as the real ones.

🎨 Modern UI & Animations:

The game uses the latest CSS tricks and animations to create a slick, engaging HTML-based UI.
Smooth transitions, fun hover effects, and playful animations make every guess feel dynamic and interactive.
Everything is designed to run seamlessly inside Devvit’s WebViews, providing a polished, app-like experience inside Reddit.

Challenges we ran into

Training OpenAI's API to generate plausible but misleading fake endings without being repetitive.
Ensuring the game runs smoothly, especially within Reddit’s Devvit WebViews.
Balancing the difficulty so some fake endings feel obvious, while others make you doubt reality itself!

Accomplishments that we're proud of

✅ Successfully integrating OpenAI’s API to make every round feel unique.
✅ Parsing real-time headlines from r/NotTheOnion, keeping the game fresh every day.
✅ A beautifully animated UI that makes HTML-based games feel next-gen.

What we learned

People love being tricked in the best way possible—when the real news is weirder than AI-generated fiction!
Also, working with OpenAI + Reddit’s Devvit WebViews opens the door for more AI-powered social games.

What's next for Half a Headline?

🔥 Multiplayer Mode – Challenge friends in real-time headline battles.
🎭 New Headline Categories – "Conspiracy Theories?", "Tech Disasters?", "Celebrity Meltdowns?"
🏆 Daily Challenges & Rewards – Earn streaks and badges for your news-guessing skills.