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'Game' Dev Log: Blank Quiz

When you come across a survey that asks 'What makes a game, a game?' in Google Forms, obviously your next question has to be, 'Can you make a game in Google Forms?'

So I made it.

You can 'play' it in Google Forms here.

I've been thinking about mediums recently, what makes art art, and how ideas are catalysts.

This 'game' is in some ways, the result of all of that.

Plus, all the branching narrative games I've played and watched, a love for all things meta, and finding new ways to use tools that weren't made for that purpose.

Making of Blank Quiz

I won't admit this anywhere else but I do think it is a game because there are rules and you can 'win'.

The name of the game comes from the default title of the Google Forms quiz template.

The fonts and colors were chosen to make it look more fun, closer to a game than the default purple of Google Forms that people may have previous associations with. The neon green, the slab serif, and the monospace font has all been chosen to hint that it's not your regular Google Form.

The game uses branching logic using the Google Forms option that lets you redirect respondents/players to another section based on what they pick in a multiple choice question.

The progress bar is there to show there's progression in the 'game' and depending on what you pick, you can jump way too far and finish the game early (or speedrun, if you want to call it that, as one player did).

The answer key is used for hiding the Easter egg.

It is a game with a ruleset that is made up of one rule:

If you click you understand the instructions, it will always lead to the end screen of the game, which asks you to rate your understanding of the experience. This was at first 'Rate your experience' but I changed it to 'Rate your understanding of the experience' because

  1. I didn't want to know what people actually would objectively rate this game I'd made
  2. It was a question that would guarantee answers on both ends, so seeing 1 star - not understanding - actually goes with the theme of the game

If you click you don't understand the instructions, which you shouldn't, because there are none, then 'the game' really starts and you can follow the 'correct' path which is:

I... need clarification > Ok > ... I've done this before

The 'Ok' answer you can't do anything with was inspired by the Sims 4 Ok loading screen tooltip.

These are the win conditions. It has hidden scoring and the points don't matter, but you can get the highest score by answering all the questions 'honestly'. I can also see how many have 'won' based on how many times 'Ok' has been clicked.

Answering honestly means admitting you don't understand the instructions, seeking clarification, and then continuing. It rewards not knowing, the pursuit of knowledge, and the determination to go on even when you don't find the answers you seek.

I added the actual end screen 'You're Really Done' so I could explain some of the game and have a clear, visible place that linked the original survey that inspired it.

There's also a section that asks:

Is Blank Quiz a game?

It looks like a question, but it's actually a section with that as the headline and this description:

This question is not accepting answers at this time.

Which is similar to the error message (This form is not accepting responses at this time) that you get when you access a closed Google Form. It's actually not a question, it's just the UI for section/descriptions are the same as question/answers. It's also not a question I wanted answered necessarily. That's what the original survey is for.

I did want to have a space where people can submit something, so I added an optional question at the end that accepts freeform text. This gets you bonus points. But, like I said, the points don't really matter in this game.

The confirmation message says:

Confirmed.

Please do not submit another response.

Or do, if you want to find something in this.

It didn't have the last 'or' part early on, which I quickly changed after getting a helpful feedback comment from someone who said they would love to replay it but about they'd probably need a second Google account, which is not the case. You don't even need the first Google account. Or any accounts, anywhere, at all.

This still doesn't make it clear in-game there is an Easter egg and discourages replay to some level, but I wanted players who would ignore the instruction and click the link to submit another response anyway. The form doesn't limit to a single response on purpose (also because enabling that would then require signing in to fill the form).

Extras

Finding the Easter Egg

After submitting the form, you have to click the button to Check Accuracy, scroll down to the Clarification section that doesn't have clarification available at this time, but does have a secret link.

Stats

(As of 12 November, 2025)

Blank Quiz received 133 'plays'.

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36 (27.1%) understood the instructions, so they jumped to the ratings section.

97 (72.9%) didn't understand the instructions, so they moved to the next section.

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69 out of 97 (71.13%) clicked 'I'm ready!'

28 out of 97 (28.86%) clicked 'I've... done this before'

Note - since the clarification question loops back here, some who clicked 'I... need clarification' could click either of these responses to move forward to ratings.

44 of 97 (45.36%) requested clarification.

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3.01/5 is the average understanding of the experience.

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There were 50 responses to the freeform text box at the end, which I've categorized into four sections, for fun. These do not correspond to ratings and are in a random order.

Praise for Blank Quiz

Hate for Blank Quiz

??? for Blank Quiz

More Responses to Blank Quiz

Fun fact

I've spent more time writing this and explaining the game than I did making the 'game'.

Links!