WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe
71496773
TMNGaming
WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe is a 2.1 Hard level by TMNGaming, published on 18 July 2021. It is an XL story-driven level about the creator's deteriorating relationship with level creation, including anxiety, self-doubt, and the pressure to obtain recognition. It was later selected as the fourth level of the Portal Gauntlet.
The level contains three user coins and several branching routes. It was nominated for and won Best Story Level in The Geometry Dash Awards 2021.
Description
Overview
WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe presents a journey through the creator's mind. Its story concerns how creating levels initially provided TMNGaming with enjoyment and excitement, but gradually became a source of anxiety and self-doubt. It questions whether players genuinely enjoy the creator's work and examines the pressure to create for attention or recognition rather than personal satisfaction.
The level's description summarises its subject as follows:
Spend a couple minutes in the mind of a creator who hates who he has become, and wishes desperately that you are happier then him.
The level represents these feelings through a succession of different environments and unfinished projects. Frequent changes in visual style suggest the player is travelling through different parts of the creator's mind. Some areas appear colourful and hopeful, while others become darker and more chaotic as the narrative progresses.
Text displayed throughout the level communicates the creator's thoughts directly to the player. The environments represent projects that may have begun with excitement but were abandoned after anxiety and doubt replaced the creator's original motivation. The title's repeated use of the word 'Why' reflects the questioning and uncertainty at the story's centre.
Near the end, the presentation becomes increasingly dark and distressed. The level concludes with the words 'please help me' displayed against a dark background. This ending reinforces that the level is not merely a fictional story, but a personal expression of the creator's frustration and emotional state.[1]
Level
WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe runs three minutes and 42 seconds, making it considerably longer than most non-Demon-rated levels. Its gameplay uses multiple game-modes and is divided among several visually distinct environments.
The level includes several route divisions. Depending on the player's movement, the icon may travel through a lower, middle, or upper path before the routes reconnect. These paths let the player experience parts of the level differently without substantially changing its overall story. Some alternate routes also hide the three user coins.
Although the level is rated Hard, its difficulty is not entirely consistent. Much of the gameplay is relatively straightforward, while several later inputs and alternate routes require more precise timing. Its extended length also makes mistakes near the end more consequential.
The gameplay primarily serves to carry the level's narrative. Rather than maintaining one decoration style, the player moves through numerous projects and environments that represent different ideas and stages of the creator's thought process.
User coins
WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe contains three user coins.
- The first coin is located at 39%. At 36%, the player must jump onto the platform above the normal route to collect a Mario-styled coin. Collecting this object automatically awards the coin at 39%.
- The second coin is located at 57%. At 53%, the player must fly above the cube portal and enter an alternate route containing a robot portal. The player must use the robot to hit an orb at 56%, opening another alternate route containing a UFO portal. After several UFO inputs, the player enters a cube portal and makes one final jump to collect the coin. A stick figure congratulates the player if they complete the route successfully.
- The third and final coin is located at 94%. At 91%, the player must fly above the UFO portal and remain as a ship. The player must then fly above the cube portal at 92% and enter a hidden cube portal. After entering it, the player must quickly jump, hit a yellow orb, and time an input on a pink dash orb to reach the coin; a correctly timed green-orb input then returns the player to the normal route.
Gameplay
Reception
WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe received recognition for its personal narrative and presentation. It won the Best Story Level category at The Geometry Dash Awards 2021, receiving 8,698 votes. The award recognised the level's use of Geometry Dash as a medium to present the creator's thoughts and experiences.
The level received renewed attention after being selected for the Portal Gauntlet in 2024. Some players found its inclusion controversial because completing every level in sequence is required to finish a Gauntlet. Criticism focused mainly on its XL length, uneven difficulty, and gameplay rather than its decoration or message.
The level's comment section consequently received numerous hostile comments. Other community members criticised this reaction, noting that it reflected the same concern the level addressed: the negative effect that public judgement and the pursuit of approval can have on a creator. A community video discussing the reaction argued that constructive criticism would have been more appropriate than personal attacks against TMNGaming.[2]
Trivia
- WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe was published on the same day as Nexus's original showcase of the level.[1]
- WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe was nominated for Best Story Level in The Geometry Dash Awards 2021; it went on to place first.
- WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe originally had a bug near 95% where an orb would sometimes fail to register unless it were hit close to its centre. The problem was fixed after the level was added to the Portal Gauntlet.
- At a length of 3m 42s, WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe is the second-longest Gauntlet level by duration, four seconds shorter than Out of Place.
- It is one of six Gauntlet levels exceeding three minutes in duration. The others are Snow flies in Fog, Change of Scene, in Silico, I See Stars, and Out of Place.
- The hostile reaction following the level's addition to the Portal Gauntlet was considered ironic by some community members because the level itself concerns the harmful effects of criticism, public judgement, and the pursuit of recognition.[2]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 WhyMeWhyMeWhyMeWhyMe by TMNGaming | Geometry Dash — Nexus [GD], 18 July 2021.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 The Geometry Dash Community Has a Serious Problem — Daily Dose of Geometry Dash, 4 March 2024.