Today marks 4 years since I published Vibin' Lizard Snack Bar, my first self-developed game, here on itch.io! I published it as part of the GMTK Game Jam of that year, and that's all there is to it. I wanted to make something a bit fancier than a simple blog post but at the present moment I am busy with the Toxic Yuri VN Jam! So my time is devoted to that project atm uwu

VLSB was an atrocious game and I wouldn't recommend you play it? Like it's just not fun iirc. But it's still up because I think it's important to also show other, newer devs that everyone starts with something. (The lizards are cute tho)

My life has changed a lot in those 4 years. Went from uni in the middle of nowhere to being employed in games and living in a big city. Didn't consider myself trans yet back then. I got better at programming. Made a lot of friends. Had many many many life-changing experiences.

My mental health isn't necessarily better now. My issues definitely changed in many ways and now I got past some issues and developed new ones. Uhm... that got depressing. Moving on.

Not gonna do a look into the future because I don't work like that dfhjbgjdfg

Instead, let me spill some words on how I got here because maybe this'll be useful or inspirational or just vaguely interesting to others. My interest with game design picked up around 2016 when I got into Magic. started doing custom cards, and also developing my own board and card games from scratch. Decided I wanna do that for the foreseeable future. Go to uni to study media shit, made friends, found out I was trans. A close friend got me started with Godot in the same breath as I started getting interested in graph theory. Fuck I used to be such a math nerd. Started making my first fucked up prototypes in 2020/21 ish. Make Vibin' Lizard Snack Bar in 2021. Just keep making games, experimenting with different tech, engines, art styles, team members, solodev. At the end of my degree I got my foot in the games industry in 2022, and started working fulltime in it in 2023 after I graduated. Went to gamescom and Godotcon because of it, make my own connections. Lose my job and get hired somewhere else. Whatever. On the side, I keep making my own shit, getting deeper and deeper into diy culture. Lo-fi internet culture. Become really gay. Decide I wanna make a dialogue system and make When The Sea Received The Sky. Have many yuri moments. Make She Was Swallowed By The Sun. Have it transform my life and ethics. Keep making stuff. Have some breakdowns and get more tattoos. Now we're here.

Skipping over many personal details here, but you get the rough gist. You just keep making shit. Queer art is beautiful and every bit of love we put out there is something to be amplified by the hearts and minds and souls of our siblings.

Thank you for being here right now, yes you, reading this. Seeing people respond to my work in many emotional ways has been an absolutely stunning and transformational experience & privilege <3

Peace, love, and liberation for all :3

(Cover art by FaolanArt)

(I guess if you want a little comparison thingy, I also participated as programmer on NEUBAUHAUS for GMTK Jam 2024. That one was better hehe)

(Oki byee :3333)