pany-dev-diary

[pany-dev-diary]

Soft-Launching Myself with a Dev Diary No One Asked For

Author: panychu

The beginning of an adventure

Hi everyone! 

Today, I will be humbly sharing a passion project I've been quietly developing for quite some time now. It's ambitious, full of heart, and still updating in real time.

Me! 

(Also known as Pany.) 

In this personal little dev diary, we'll be going through everything from soft skills, community magic, creative passion and a strong desire to be part of something meaningful. And while it does feel a little weird writing about myself like I'm a game update, I promise it'll be worth it if you bear with me and the quirkiness…

I've been following Envar for years. Not just passively lurking, but actively following, being stunned by League splash arts, environment art and concepts - and that signature visual storytelling that had me stuck in the League shop and practice tool for hours, just admiring the craft. 

I felt genuinely hyped beyond belief when I found out you were building something of your own - and maybe it's because I'm an artist myself, but from my perspective it just makes sense as the next step. The art and stories you're capable of creating, deserve a world of their own.

That's a world I'd love to bring people closer to, with the kind of voice you instantly recognize. One that remembers usernames, follows up on feedback, and creates magical room for co-creation between developers and fans.

So here I am - with a whole lot of ideas, and experience shaped right at the heart of internet culture, among the kind of people who'd be first in line to play a game like yours.

Lore and all that good stuff!

Every hero's journey starts somewhere. Mine started… on deviantArt. It was the first platform that was my serious taste in creating a community, and maybe the purest experience of what it feels like when it's based around creativity, genuine engagement and unapologetic nerdiness. 

So, while my Naruto-phase isn't my most sophisticated era, I do feel something close to pride (cringe-flavored pride, but pride nonetheless) when I think about 12-year-old me hosting massive forum-based art and fanfiction contests for hundreds of users - all fueled by pure passion and a very questionable understanding of HTML. It was my first taste of building and managing a community that was growing fast and big, escalating into character-driven ask-blogs, fan-discussions that led to many comics being created, and funny video edits.

The journey has since then been anything but linear, and I've come to accept that is the result of a deep seated curiosity. In life, I've gathered a wide range of experiences from studying psychiatry, philosophy and rhetoric at university, switching to art school and diving into my passion for animation, and also working with event management and content creation professionally.

That Naruto-loving, forum-post-editing kid turned into someone who still thrives at creating spaces for people to connect in new ways like moderating Discord servers, organizing events online and offline, and creating things that get people engaged.

If there's one lesson I keep learning, it's this: Magic happens when people connect, and create together.

Game features: Pany's Core Mechanics

I haven't shipped any big game titles but I do still think Pany v. 27 is going to be a great fit as your Community Manager, based on her current stats and features.

Content Creation & Community building: I worked professionally with YouTube on the big channels DunderHumor & ThunderHumor - doing voice acting, live-streaming, content-creation, illustration and animation in projects, collaborating with companies like Disney and Partykungen. I was very active setting up livestreams and connecting with fans live, in comment sections, and on-site events. Right now I'm an intern at Dataspelsbranschen and Game Town in Stockholm as a community manager and event orginizer. It's a place where I've felt incredibly at home, in a community of ambitious game developers and creatives. 

Writing, speaking and Creativity: Communication has always been my strong suit (and somehow my internet slang hasn't ruined it yet) and I know how to put both passion and clarity into getting people engaged with both voice and words. With a deep appreciation and understanding for the storytelling craft across inspiring games, animation and in content creation. With strong art fundamentals, animation knowledge and design skills, I can independently provide extra "visual" spice to any content, in a way that looks professional and feels well in-tune with internet culture.

Creative Leadership: I've directed and production managed several animated projects, acted as a very active class representative in each class I've been in, and coordinated events online and offline. I co-founded an indie animation studio, where I've hosted animation jams with talented creators, and today we're producing a teaser for a little YouTube series that's already started building a following, even pre-announcement. I'm organized, social and agile in how I work, especially when I lead teams.

Event Management: In my home-town Uppsala, I felt so frustrated about how hard it was to connect with fellow nerds, so I started a convention called "Continue". I created a lively community, built and managed a team and brand around it that became a huge success, with events held every quarter. Later, I have also worked as a main organizer at Scandinavias biggest Con - Närcon - for several years. I was responsible for guests, politicians, panelists and speakers as well as coming up with and hosting activities on stage, like Q&A sessions and panels.

You get all of this in the latest patch, and a little more of course!

Pany v.27 Bonus Stats Highlights:

-10% Nerf: Thinking too much about Sonic the Hedgehog. +20% Buffed: Art skills. Passive ability: Really really really fast typer. Active ability: Master of engaging in discussion about basically anything. ∞ Passion for roleplaying and writing stories. Special Move 1: Editing EVERYTHING into video montages. Special Move 2: Can sound like an actual seagull.

Next steps on the journey

So, I'm a certified (paradoxically extroverted) internet gremlin, incurable creative, and community-building enthusiast raised on fandom forums and huge conventions. You know the tip of the Pany v.27 iceberg now… but what would I actually do as your Community Manager? Let's talk about my quests.

Since Envar's new game is still under wraps, that means building up a community ground up. And just like building a game from an idea, there's infinite creative potential. 

With consistency and devotion, something classic like - for example - a Dev Diary can become iconic, for one community and game in particular. Updates, social media content and streams can be so much more than just patch notes, memes and Q&A's. I'd love to turn them into something fun that feels personal, truly coming from the team at Envar. A serialized dev diary that's more like a show than a blog, streams where the community create silly game-character tierlists together, or maybe a short-format series for social media where each dev gets a little introduction episode (complete with doodles, inside jokes, and mysterious lore crumbs in the margins). 

In my experience, community culture can't be forced, and that's exactly what makes it great. It's something that builds itself while you set the tone. If you're good at seeing, listening, and if you can leave room for the unexpected while adapting to it, you get a lively, evolving and engaged community. 

Not just a following - a culture. One that grows right alongside the world you're building.

Thanks for reading!

Thanks so much for reading this chaotic little dev diary. It's a special one, as it's written just for you guys at Envar, and comes straight from the heart (or the kokoro as one might say, if they were secretly a Naruto fan, still). 

Maybe this wasn't the flashiest launch, but honestly, the best updates are the ones the devs don't let you see coming. 

If you're looking for someone who's all in - quirks, dedication, kokoro and all - I really hope I get the chance to meet you, and help build something wonderful together.

// Pany (Now available in v.27 — patches incoming!)