Game Dev as a Hobby
Game Dev As a Hobby…
For the better part of the year I’ve been attempting to do game development as a hobby…
Why?
I’ve always been a “gamer” and curious about game development, especially considering I already know how to “code”…right? So, teaming up with a friend, we decided to give it a try. Due to my busy schedule with work, family, and other hobbies, I primarily work on this project between 10 PM and 1 AM—not ideal, but the only time I have available.
A key factor in the “success” of this hobby was partnering with a friend. Collaborating allowed us to overcome obstacles, leverage our combined strengths, and develop new skills together. I found that tackling challenging projects with a partner was immensely beneficial.
How?
We’ve used a myriad of tools but have mostly landed on:
- Godot (Game Engine)
- Aesprite (Pixel Art)
- Photopea (Online Photoshop)
- Blender (3D Modeling)
- Github (Source control)
- Discord (Communication)
- Trello (Work Mgmt)
- Google Drive / Google Docs (Planning / File Storage)
- Audacity (Audio Editing)
- Generative AI (ChatGPT / Gemini for code assists)
Not to mention lots of “little” things like itch.io, humble bundle, youtube, reddit, filter forge, texture websites, and our own microphones for recording foley sound effects.
These hours are not accurate of course, these programs were running minimized while I slept quite often… but you get the idea.
What?
We’re still at it! We’ve been working on our current game since late October 2024. It actually came from another project we started in late September 2024. And before that, we had four other prototypes that didn’t quite work out. Here are some screenshots of those earlier attempts.
You know what they say, if at first you don’t succeed…
Give No Quarter (GNQ): Aug 2023 -> Jan 2024
Our first real try at a game. The premise was to basically combine FTL (Faster Than Light) and…Pirates. So it was a 2D pixel art styled game with rogue-like elements that put you in control of a ship with a crew…then stuff would happen.
We eventually abandoned this game for various reasons the first being: it just wasn’t fun, and we weren’t sure how to make it fun. I still think the idea is great though maybe one day we’ll revisit it. Importantly, this project also taught us A LOT so it was super valuable.
Dustkicker / Skyote: Jan 2024 -> Feb 2024
This was mostly a solo project by my buddy who started it off as part of a game jam that can actually be played here: https://stuyk.itch.io/glideworms
This briefly evolved into a full-fledged game idea that we then over-scoped into oblivion and just eventually fizzled out on…It was meant to be an open-world (ish) 2D adventure game where you flew around on a starwars-like glide bike we called a “dust kicker” on an alien planet … and then you hunted stuff or something and upgraded your gear…why did we quit this one? Hard to say.
Buffer Overflow (BoF): May 2024
This was technically a solo venture of mine, my buddy took a bit of a break during May due to a new job taking up a lot of his time.The premise of the game was a 2D tower defense game with a cyber-security theme (shocker) it was slightly modeled after “Rogue Tower” on steam.
No screenshots on this one because at the time of writing the article it’s crashing on boot so…just close your eyes and pretend you see bad graphics.
Creature Comforts Inn (CCI): August 2024 -> Sept 2024
This was our “Halloween” game, a sort of social deception game where you are the night shift manager at a motel who had to admit guests (a bit like Papers, Please!) and the guests are humans…or less than humans (Eg. monsters) and then depending on what you do various things happen…this game fell apart once we realized two things
- We had no idea what actually “happened” if you let a vampire and a human stay at the same time. Someone dies..? Okay, then what? You lose? We just weren’t sure
- We discovered this game basically already exists: Thats Not My Neighbor
“Fog Hedge”, aka. an untitled game: Sept 2024 -> Oct 2024
Our big break into 3D…this game was meant to be a blend of an adventure horror game + Myst, basically. This game didn’t “fail” so much as evolve into our current project; which is admittedly way different now but shares some of the same fundamental things we established in this prototype. For example, this game and our current game is meant to be a lil’ spooky.
Conclusion
Balancing game development as a side hobby is undoubtedly a demanding undertaking. It requires a diverse skill set encompassing art, programming, level design, sounds design, and more. It also demands continuous learning and significant dedication. Yet, despite these challenges, the experience can often feel very rewarding. Bringing interactive worlds and experiences to life within the unique medium of video games offers a uniquely creative satisfaction, making the effort worthwhile for those willing to persevere.
One final thought: I have a whole new level of respect for every game out there. I used to be quicker to judge, but now I realize it’s just like writing a book—easy to criticize, but super hard to actually do well. Game development has definitely taught me that.