There’s no shame in looking up how to do something in a video game, but if push came to shove, many of us would like to think we’d do just fine without a hint. Around 800 people put this idea to the test, literally, by taking a specialized exam created by game developer Woe Industries. The challenge: Beat an adventure game from the 80s, but without the help of a walkthrough. The participants would be monitored while playing a surprise game via a digital proctor that could determine if the gamer enlisted help in some way.
If the player looked something up on their PC, used their phone, or somehow communicated with someone, the program — which is used by actual colleges — would be able to catch it. If the player successfully completes the challenge, however, they will get a diploma. As gamers of a certain age are aware, old-school adventure games are notorious for their esoteric and illogical solutions. In this case, players were given the seminal LucasArts point-and-click adventure game, Maniac Mansion. Rather than forcing players to guess the exact syntax needed to progress through the game, Maniac Mansion used a revolutionary technology that allowed users to input commands from a list of options. A retrospective review of the 1987 retro game called this design “elegant and intuitive.”
We’ve had nearly 40 years of video game innovations since Maniac Mansion, however, and multiple generations of gamers who have been brought up on yellow paint and omnipresent objective markers. Video game publishers are seemingly all racking their brains on how to develop the first AI to play a game for you. The culture around games, meanwhile, continues to be deeply entrenched in a toxic ‘Git Good’ mentality.
As spotted by PC Gamer, the Adventure Game Aptitude Test, which was held on February 28, 2026, gave players a 4-hour window to clear Maniac Mansion blind. According to How Long To Beat, Maniac Mansion tends to take players somewhere around three and a half hours to beat — meaning the test takers wouldn’t have much wiggle room with the game if they got stuck.
So, how’d people fare? Worse than you’d think! Out of 831 participants, only two people managed to get through Maniac Mansion within the allotted time span without any help.
“A 0.24% pass rate makes the AGAT one of the most prestigious and rigorous exams in the world,” Woe Industries wrote on BluSky.
“The SAT, MCAT and most forklift operator certifications lie prostrate at our feet.”
The two distinguished gamers will be receiving a distinct diploma with a “seal of authenticity” to show off their achievements, Woe Industry says. PC Gamer also reports that at least one person (jokingly?) tried to bribe Woe Industries with money.
If the exam idea tickles your fancy, you might be into Woe Industry’s games — they’re just as clever as the AGAT. The developer is the mind behind the silly typing game where you die if you make a single typo, and an interactive fiction game where you pretend to be a billionaire who has invested a disgusting amount of money into generative AI.
As for the big-brained gamers who passed the test, Woe Industries has nothing but good things to say.
“We encourage employers to hire them, Forbes to interview them and medieval peasants to raise pitchforks and scream stuff like “Witch! They must be a witch!”
