Seven year old Newtown autistic boy's drawings create online game

A seven-year-old autistic boy from Newtown has turned a year of drawings and imagination into a real online video game now being played by children around the world.

Chester Edmunds created “Horridors”, a kid-friendly horror adventure featuring eight levels and 11 original monsters, all first designed in his sketchbook at home.

The game, which launched last month, was built by Chester’s dad Dan Edmunds using AI tools after Chester spent more than a year creating characters, puzzles and storylines.

Dan said Chester knew “every level, every monster, every detail” before the game was ever built.

“Every detail lives in his head,” the press kit explains. “He has been quietly testing and re-testing this world in his sketchbook for most of his life.”

The story follows Chester as he battles monsters known as the “Horridors” to rescue his missing mum. The game includes monsters such as Grinpatch, Blacky Pants and Socky Shok, all designed by Chester himself.

Dan, who says he is not a coder, used AI platform Perplexity to turn Chester’s ideas into a playable game. Chester then tested every version and decided whether levels were good enough to stay in the final release.

The free game runs in a web browser through horridors.com, with an Android version also launching on the Google Play Store this week. It has no adverts, no accounts and no tracking, according to Dan.

The game features four difficulty settings ranging from easy to extreme and is aimed at players aged seven and above.

The project is already attracting attention online for combining a child’s imagination with AI assisted game development, while also highlighting autism and creativity.

More information and the free game can be found at horridors.com.