About : Jenn Sandercock

About Me and Biography

I've created a dozen edible games that must be played by eating the pieces. Some Edible Games are sweet, others are savoury, and they all have one thing in common—you can’t play unless you eat! A cookbook of all these delicious games was successfully funded on Kickstarter.

Jenn hails from Australia and is driven by the idea of games that foster friendship, curiosity and challenge. As the founder of Inquisiment, Jenn's ambition is to create a world of games that emphasize cooperation rather than competition.

Jenn's always loved games but her modern gaming career evolved from her days at Team Bondi, Media Saints and Disney/Playdom where she was a key developer in games focused on character behaviour, education, and hidden objects. In 2009, she became an independent game developer, determined to build games that challenged conventional game mechanics. Her determination led her to come up with 52 game ideas in 52 weeks and then complete a new challenge to finish 12 games in 12 continuous months. In 2019 she released the Edible Games Cookbook containing 13 diverse tabletop games that you have to eat to play.

When she's not focused on building games, you can find Jenn exploring her local neighbourhood, posting about brooches, caring for wildlife, and adding to her collection of gourmet chocolates.

The following lists are games that Jenn has significantly contributed to.

Large Commercial Game Bibliography

Digital-Real-World Hybrids
- aglimpse: friends
  - Developer: Inquisiment
  - Platforms: iOS, Android
  - Initial Release: 2016
  - Game Description: Free-to-play game about exploration and staying in touch with friends.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Game designer, writer, front-end programmer, producer
- When in Rome
  - Developer: Sensible Object
  - Platforms: Physical box, Alexa
  - Initial Release: 2018
  - Game Description: Tabletop travel trivia game where Alexa is your game show host.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Producer, game designer on prototype
Live Ops Social Games
- Gardens of Time
  - Developer: Playdom (Disney Interactive)
  - Platforms: Facebook, Web, iOS, Android
  - Initial Release: 2011
  - Game Description: Time travel hidden object game (HOG) with new features and content weekly.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Associate Product Manager
- Disney Animal Kindgom Explorers
  - Developer: Playdom (Disney Interactive)
  - Platforms: Facebook, Web, iOS, Android
  - Initial Release: 2011
  - Game Description: Animal themed HOG with new features and content weekly.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Associate Product Manager
Adventures
- Return to Monkey Island
  - Developer: Terrible Toybox
  - Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux, Xbox Series X|S, PS5, Nintendo Switch
  - Initial Release: 2022
  - Game Description: Modern comedy, adventure game about being a pirate in the Monkey Island world.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Producer.
- Thimbleweed Park
  - Developer: Terrible Toybox
  - Platforms: Windows, Mac, Linux Xbox One, PS4, Nintendo Switch, iOS, Android
  - Initial Release: 2017
  - Game Description: Modern-retro mystery adventure game about a murder in a town populated with “interesting” characters.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Gameplay programmer, game designer, producer, event coordination, customer support.
- Cozy Grove
  - Developer: Spry Fox
  - Platforms: Mobile
  - Initial Release: Unreleased
  - Game Description: Procedurally generated HOG and Animal Crossing-like game.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Producer, Art Pipeline.
AAA
- L.A. Noire
  - Developer: Team Bondi
  - Platforms: PS3, Xbox 360
  - Initial Release: 2011
  - Game Description: Neo-noir detective action-adventure game set in the 1940s.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Junior Game Designer
Tabletop
- Edible Games
  - Developer: Inquisiment
  - Platforms: Physical Book, Kindle
  - Initial Release: 2019
  - Game Description: 13 diverse games that can only be played by actually eating them:
    - The Order of the Oven Mitt
    - Gingerbread Friends
    - Flavour Roulette
    - Master Taster
    - J-Wobbler
    - Flip 'n' Stick
    - Taste Bud is Blind
    - Veggie Land
    - Patisserie Code
    - Roll for Flavour
    - High Tea Assassin
    - Cookie Cruncher
  - Jenn's Contributions: Producer, Game Designer, Baker, Author.
Educational Platformer
- Knowledge Quest
  - Developer: Media Saints
  - Platforms: Web
  - Initial Release: 2012
  - Game Description: Platformer and educational game to teach English to middle schoolers.
  - Jenn's Contributions: Associate Producer, Game Designer

Smaller Game Bibliography

For more information on the digital indie games, go to the indie demos page.

Digital
- The Will: Game designer, writer, programmer, artist, producer.
- The Dragon Whisperers: Game designer, writer, programmer, producer.
- The AI with a Broken Heart: Sole Developer.
- Back to the First Date: Game designer, writer.
- Imogen's Mansion: Sole Developer.
- The Tree Mysteries Part One: Marie's Mr Right: Sole Developer.
- Together In Love: Game Designer/Producer/Programmer/Artist.
- Soulmate: Game Designer/Producer.
- Vet Lucie Disastrous: Creator, Game Designer, Artist, Programmer.
- Fashion Police: Sole Developer.
- Snowflakes: Sole Developer.
Non-Digital

Talks and Interviews

Edible Tabletop Games: Using Constraints to Innovate: Board Game Design Day, GDC, March 2019.
Experimental Gameplay Workshop GDC Main Conference, March 2019.
The State and Future of Board Games: Board Game Design Day, GDC, March 2019.
GDC Microtalks: Playing With Fire: (Start at 17:34) GDC, March 2018.
Focusing Your Career as an Indie Dev: GDC Independent Game Summit, March 2017.
Edible Games at Experimental Gameplay Workshop: Game Developer's Conference, March 2017. Watch from 1h11m40s mark.
Interview at IndieCade 2017: Talk with Erika Ishii while playing the Order of the Oven Mitt. October 2016.
PAX West Twitch Stream (Start at 8:44:30) 4 September 2016: Demo of Thimbleweed Park.
Unconsoleable 9 August 2016: discussion of edible games, Thimbleweed Park and getting into games.
Hyper RPG 30 March 2016: discussion about getting into games.