I.T. Kid

Alex Bedenko's 2003 game, signed Ghost, drops a small figure into a concrete tunnel and sets spinning checkered blades loose. The arrow keys move him across the floor while the blades sweep in from the walls, and the run ends when one catches him. Your score is the seconds you stayed alive, with the frame rate recorded beside it.

The screen is nearly monochrome — grey concrete, a red-and-white checker pattern, green counters in the corners. The title screen's only instructions are 'start!' and 'use arrow keys in the game', and the end screen answers with 'your score is …' and a restart prompt.