By now, you have probably heard of Jimothy, a raccoon with a spinal condition who lives in Seattle's Ballard neighborhood.
Videos of this short-spined raccoon have been shared millions of times online. That has inspired a flurry of art, tattoos and clothing. The Seattle Mariners are even handing out Jimothy t-shirts.
Now, an Issaquah man has created an arcade-style video game where you can play as Jimothy. The goal is to get him safely to his den. Adventures include crossing busy streets, avoiding paparazzi in the park and knocking over trash bins for food.
"The internet's having fun,” said Chris Pirillo, who designed the game.
Pirillo was interested in making a Jimothy game because “we get to project a personality onto this critter.”
"We get to be creative, and create stories and worlds,” he said. “I think that's what's got a lot of the creatives motivated, right?”
Pirillo is a creative entrepreneur who designs apps and content. At first, he wanted to make a Jimothy tracker so people could stay up to date on the raccoon’s location. But he decided that that was a bad idea, because he didn’t want people to track Jimothy down.
"The attention that's been given to this raccoon in the middle of Ballard, there are going to be lookie-loos and tourists potentially coming and getting too close to wildlife. They shouldn't be doing that," Pirillo said.
So he pivoted to creating a retro-looking video game. Pirillo said he wanted it to be a “bright spot” for people.
“Sometimes all we need is a silly moment, you know, to just have a bit of respite,” he said.
Pirillo used AI to create the game. Specifically, he used a technique called “vibe coding,” which is when someone describes what they want to an AI application, rather than manually write code for it. Pirillo understands that people may bristle at that, but he sees AI as a tool.
“It’s not about the tool itself, it’s how you use the tool,” Pirillo said. “Some people are using it to create what they call ‘slop,’ and other people are using it to create things that are functional and fun.”
Pirillo started working on it on a Saturday afternoon. Twelve hours of feverish work later, and it was ready to launch the next morning.
“I don't think anybody could have done something like that two years ago,” he said. “So to be able to do it now, I mean, it's exciting. That's exhilarating.”
At the end of the game, Jimothy appears resting in the den of a tree. Pirillo included a public service announcement.
It reads in part: "Keep your distance. Lock your bins. Let Legends Hobble."
