Things People Built Just Because They Could

A developer made a portfolio you explore with a car. Someone turned choosing a password into a game. Another project lets you boot up computers from decades ago without leaving your browser. These are the kinds of links that make you send a message saying, 'You need to open this.'

Some have a practical purpose, some preserve history, and some exist around a single joke. What connects these five is the invitation to interact. For indie developers, designers, and anyone who misses stumbling across something unexpected online, there is plenty here to explore.

01

A form field becomes your entire problem

The Password Game

Neal Agarwal's browser puzzle begins with a request almost everyone recognises: choose a password. The rules keep arriving, and each new requirement has to coexist with the ones you already satisfied. A small edit can undo your earlier work.

Why the idea worksThe familiar starting point makes the escalation easy to appreciate. You already know what an annoying password form feels like; the game keeps finding ways to push that feeling further. For a game developer, there is an appealing constraint here: one editable field and a set of interacting rules can create a substantial challenge. Try solving the next rule without breaking an earlier one.

Explore The Password Game on Biltib

02

You have to drive to see his work

Bruno Simon's Portfolio

Bruno Simon presents his creative development work through a 3D world you navigate in a car. Drive around, interact with the environment, and discover information about him and his projects. The site supports keyboard, touch, and gamepad controls.

Why the idea worksThe website demonstrates the skills it is introducing. Movement, interaction, and the environment give visitors something to experience before they read a description of Bruno's work. It is especially relevant to developers thinking about their own portfolios: the way you present a project can become another project worth showing. Take a detour and see what the environment invites you to do.

Explore Bruno Simon's Portfolio on Biltib

03

Someone is pointing exactly where your mouse is

Pointer Pointer

Move your cursor, hold it still, and Pointer Pointer finds a photograph of someone pointing toward that position. Move it again and the picture changes. The entire interaction revolves around making a person's finger line up with your mouse.

Why the idea worksYou can understand the premise immediately and still want to test it yourself. A different corner of the screen becomes another small challenge for the website. That is a useful example for anyone making web experiments: the interaction can be tiny if its response gives people a reason to repeat it. This one is best approached with a mouse or trackpad.

Explore Pointer Pointer on Biltib

04

Boot up another decade

Infinite Mac

Infinite Mac brings classic Macintosh and NeXT systems into the browser. Choose an operating-system release, launch a virtual machine, and explore its desktop and software. The collection stretches from the 1980s into the early 2000s.

Why the idea worksAn old interface becomes much easier to understand when you can use its menus and open its applications. Infinite Mac makes that possible without hunting for vintage hardware. Designers can explore earlier interface decisions, while developers can discover the software people once used. Pick a system from before your first computer and follow the welcome instructions to see what is available inside.

Explore Infinite Mac on Biltib

05

Draw a small world and see what happens

Sandspiel

Sandspiel is Max Bittker's falling-sand browser sandbox. Paint with materials such as sand, water, fire, lava, and plants, then watch them behave and interact. The scene continues changing after you stop drawing.

Why the idea worksThe materials give you something to experiment with before you have a plan. Place a little water beside a pile of sand, introduce another element, and watch the consequences. For indie game developers, the interesting part is how a few understandable behaviours can combine into scenes the player creates. Start small, change one thing, and see how far the reaction travels.

Explore Sandspiel on Biltib

Give someone a reason to try one more thing

The shared idea is participation. You type the password, move the cursor, steer the car, choose the old computer, or place the next handful of sand. Each project gives a visitor a small action and an interesting response.

If you are making something yourself, that is a useful place to begin: what can a person do in the first few seconds, and what happens that makes them curious about the next few? A distinctive interaction can be enough to give a project a direction.

About this selection

This is an editorial selection based on the projects and their published descriptions, reviewed in September 2026. It is not a performance ranking. The artwork is Biltib's editorial illustration, not a screenshot of the live interfaces; Bruno Simon's image uses a daylight interpretation. Open the linked product pages to learn more and launch each experience.

Project reference: The Password Game on Neal.fun.

Project reference: Bruno Simon's portfolio and its controls, source code, and development notes.

Project reference: Pointer Pointer.

Project reference: Infinite Mac's operating-system collection and project description.

Project reference: Sandspiel on its creator's itch.io page.

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