Half A Headline

A fast-paced trivia game with bizarre news from r/nottheonion

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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.

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