The Imagination Game

Where you can literally live out your dreams... and your nightmares

The Imagination Game is a funhouse created by Piper Penn and Jaden Penn based on the fourth book in the popular Zoey Coral Series, Zoey Coral and the Carnival Game.

First Creation

It's just like the book. The Imaginary Game is always shifting. I've been in when it's a haunted house, when it's a jungle, and when it's a mansion. It's different every time.
— Imaginary Game Player

by Markus Spiske

In the novel, hero Zoey Coral is trapped by her nemesis in an imaginary dreamscape in which she is unable to tell truth from reality, and must sacrifice her own immortality to escape. Upon reading the popular novel, siblings Piper and Jaden Penn set about creating their own version of the titular Carnival Game, which they called The Imagination Game. It was built in an old house in Evermoor and magically enhanced so that the experience would be part physical and part virtual. Once the spells are activated, the walls of the house can fade into any number of dreamscapes. Though the Penns run the magic behind the game, the spells are designed to feed off of the imagination of whoever is inside it, meaning players can encounter their greatest dreams... and fears.

Taking the Show on the Road

As the game became better and better known, the popularity of it grew, fueled by the anticipation for the release of the fifth, and final, Zoey Coral novel. To cut down on lines, the Penns developed a scheduling system, allowing people to plan in advance when they would play during certain days of the week. They also opened the game up for birthday parties and other events, where a group of people could play together for an extended period of time, sometimes with a particular dreamscape in mind.

The popularity of the game also inspired the Penns to create a mobile version of the game. Working with Simon Farrow of Farrow Industries, they developed a bus which, when parked, could unfold and create a smaller version of the main house. This allowed the Penns to travel with the game, reaching people who might not otherwise be able to play. Though the mobile version mostly travels through Evermoor, it has been taken on tours through the broader Minor Continent. The Penns have said they would like to make it more accessible, but until they are able to develop a boat like their bus, it probably will not.

Safety Issues

If we're not both available to run the game, it doesn't happen. There's a lot of complicated magic involved, and we just can't trust anyone else to get it right.
— Piper Penn

It's based on a weapon. The game in the book is a weapon, and she almost dies inside. I can't believe someone would allow this to exist
— parent

While the Imagination game has become a beloved pastime for teenagers, it has sparked a controversy among parents who are concerned about possible dangers. Being in the game for an extended period of time could potentially affect a person's ability to differentiate between the game and reality, as happens in the book. The Penns have said they understand parental concerns and have taken several safety measures to ensure that people are able to play without experiencing the very possible negative effects mentioned in the novel.

As the Penns designed the game, and all of the magic within it, they are the only people who run it, and it does not run if they are not both available. Any player of the game will find one of the siblings on the outside of the game and one on the inside, so they can keep track of anyone inside. Players also wear wristbands while inside, which allow the Penns to track where they are in the game, as well as monitor how long they have been inside. Furthermore, players must be at least thirteen years old, and must agree to follow any instructions given to them by the Penns. The game also has a kill switch, which can be activated from either the outside or the inside, which shuts down the magical workings and reverts the space the normal house. Despite safety concerns, the biggest problem the Penns have experienced is someone falling down the stairs--Jaden Penn himself.