A decade ago when I first released my shareware app for users of eBay, I actively participated in a video game forum. Why a game forum? I wanted my software to feel fun and exciting to use, and in 2003, nearly all software I could think of had a crappy user interface and user experience.
Cas complained in many forum threads about about how hard and unprofitable it was to finish a game. I remember writing a particularly long post about how he should just work on his game and everything will work out. Also, I repeated advice many gave that he should use existing game libraries and engines, and focus on finishing the game. Also, that he should create casual games rather than retro arcade games.
Knowing nothing about him, except how much he stood out trying to do things his way, it's amazing how determined he's been.
I realized only recently that Minecraft was created using the lwjgl (http://www.lwjgl.org/), the lightweight Java Game Library that Cas created as a result of writing his own games in Java (how crazy!) instead of using existing open-source and closed-source game frameworks.
Not many people have the drive to create exactly the kind of games they want to play, as well as their own developer tools, for over ten years.
There was nobody there to tell him that he needs to quit his day job and join a startup accelerator, as well as find a co-founder first.
The idea that you will eventually realize some financial gains if you keep releasing quality games or apps is common wisdom. But to actually realize, ten years later, just how rare it is for a developer to continue to make and polish stuff for themselves, regardless of what other people think? Or to have created something that enabled a massively popular video game to be created?
Indeed, if it weren't for people like us, there wouldn't be most of the games that people love playing today. There'd be no Minecraft, no FTL, no Terraria, no Binding of Isaac.
Cas complained in many forum threads about about how hard and unprofitable it was to finish a game. I remember writing a particularly long post about how he should just work on his game and everything will work out. Also, I repeated advice many gave that he should use existing game libraries and engines, and focus on finishing the game. Also, that he should create casual games rather than retro arcade games.
Knowing nothing about him, except how much he stood out trying to do things his way, it's amazing how determined he's been.
I realized only recently that Minecraft was created using the lwjgl (http://www.lwjgl.org/), the lightweight Java Game Library that Cas created as a result of writing his own games in Java (how crazy!) instead of using existing open-source and closed-source game frameworks.
Not many people have the drive to create exactly the kind of games they want to play, as well as their own developer tools, for over ten years.
There was nobody there to tell him that he needs to quit his day job and join a startup accelerator, as well as find a co-founder first.
The idea that you will eventually realize some financial gains if you keep releasing quality games or apps is common wisdom. But to actually realize, ten years later, just how rare it is for a developer to continue to make and polish stuff for themselves, regardless of what other people think? Or to have created something that enabled a massively popular video game to be created?
That's truly awesome, and I'm cheering for him.