Push or Pass

A daily Reddit game where the community votes today to decide how tomorrow’s game is played.

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Inspiration

Reddit is built on one core mechanic: voting.
Every day, millions of people shape conversations, visibility, and outcomes with simple upvotes and downvotes.

Push or Pass was inspired by a simple question:

What if voting didn’t just react to content — what if it shaped tomorrow’s game?

The goal was to build a daily game that feels native to Reddit, encourages return visits, and turns collective decision-making into gameplay.

What it does

Push or Pass is a daily social game with a simple loop:

  1. Vote today on how tomorrow’s game should behave
  2. Play tomorrow under the rules chosen by the community
  3. See the outcome of collective decisions

Instead of real-time competition, the game focuses on shared responsibility and delayed consequences — a mechanic that fits naturally with Reddit’s culture.

How we built it

The project was built as a lightweight web application using React.

The game is structured around three core components:

  • A voting interface that collects daily decisions
  • A play interface where users interact with the button or game state
  • A daily reset system that applies the previous day’s vote to generate the next game state

The architecture was intentionally kept simple to prioritize clarity, speed, and accessibility during the hackathon.

Challenges we ran into

One of the biggest challenges was designing a game that feels social without real-time multiplayer.

This was solved by:

  • Using daily cycles instead of live interactions
  • Making votes influence future gameplay instead of immediate results
  • Keeping outcomes non-punitive to encourage participation

Balancing simplicity with replayability was another key challenge, especially for a solo build.

What we learned

  • Daily mechanics can be more engaging than real-time complexity
  • Clear game loops matter more than feature depth
  • Reddit-native mechanics (voting, delayed outcomes, community impact) are powerful tools for game design

What’s next

Future versions of Push or Pass could include:

  • More rule variations
  • Community streaks and statistics
  • Deeper Devvit integration
  • Expanded social mechanics and visual feedback

The project is designed to grow without losing its simplicity.

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