spookydoughnut

[spookydoughnut]

'Why I Made A Game' or 'How I Learned To Stop Sleeping And Love The Coroutine'

Preamble Ramble.

My love for computers and computer games started when my dad bought a BBC Micro B. Whilst the machine is ancient by today’s standards, at the time it opened a whole new world for me. Games such as Repton, Chucky Egg, Citadel and a weird kangaroo game that I can't remember the name of (if anyone does know, I would be eternally grateful) took up most of my time, but what really intrigued me, was a copy of the BBC Microcomputer System User Guide that came with the computer.

In the said user guide, were large sections explaining how to use the basic language, what could be achieved and how to save your programs to tape. A quick skim read later and I started to write my own text adventure games...short, badly written text adventure games, but MY short badly written text adventure games nonetheless.

Fast forward thirty-something years and a slew of computers and consoles later and I was still no closer to writing a full game. Now in my adult years, being a professional Composer, I work with others that have seen game projects through from concept to release. Although I love doing what I do, I was always a little jealous that I hadn't managed to do the same.

Coronavirus Has Entered The Chat.

My year so far has sucked, as I'm sure it has for most people. I lost my dad at the beginning of the year and shortly before that, my grandad. My family and I were stuck in a mould infested flat with no sign of ever escaping. I was depressed and felt quite hopeless. There was no light at the end of the tunnel.

One indistinguishable bleak day, I was going through some files on my desktop and stumbled upon an old unity project that I’d started, called ‘Don`t Die Dickhead’. The project was a basic rage platformer that I’d made as a kind of joke, to piss off any friends and family that were willing to play it. It had three levels, controls that sort-of worked and was completely unfair. My ADHD brain latched onto the idea and before I knew it, I was working on it again; my goal, make ten levels and put it on Steam. I didn't really believe that I'd do it, but I was utterly committed to at least trying to finish it this time. Even though, at that point, I didn't really know where the game was going.

Game Design By Osmosis.

My game design process went something like this ‘make the game tough but fun and if any ideas that you like come to you, implement them...if you can’, That was quite honestly the extent of it. I'd spend time coming up with level design ideas and then add extra problems or aesthetic choices as they came to me.

The game's core revolves around chaos, so that's how it should be created, I thought. That being said...Having a solid idea before you start is a fantastic idea and something I'll definitely do from now on. The more I added to the game, the more I realised that I had to make some sort of a plan.

I added a bunch of parody levels based on games that I like, but then had to figure out how I'd work them into the project. I settled on the idea of every level or collection of levels being different tv shows or stations. As the player progressed, the channels changed and the overall aesthetic changed with it. It was at this point that I actually had to sit down and design it a little more seriously.

When In Doubt Move To Malta.

During this time, my wife and I, disillusioned with the UK government, decided that we no longer wanted to live in the UK. We’ve always had a soft spot for Malta, so we decided to go for it, try living there for a couple of months and if it all works out, begin the process of becoming residents.

Luckily composing had been good to me during lockdown and my wife's blog had started to take off, so we found ourselves in a very unique position. Off we went. Taking the bare minimum with me, an external harddrive, a nanokeys keyboard, My Ollo Audio headphones and a laptop, my intention was to continue working (Scoring a fantastic film at the moment) and finish the game.

After acclimating myself to the new environment, lizards in the house, mosquitos, hornets the size of your fist and 38 degree weather in September, I got back to work. Please believe me when i say ENVIRONMENT MAKES ALL THE DIFFERENCE! Psychologically, the change in environment for me was incredible. I felt far more creatively available and finishing ‘DDD’, for the first time, didn't seem impossible.

And So Here We Are.

Since arriving in Malta, I’ve worked my sexy ass off. When not composing I was coding, when not coding I was creating artwork, when not creating artwork, I was playing the same goddamn level for what seemed like the thousandth time. I changed the name to ‘Don't Die! Douche!’, I made a trailer, I paid for a Steam page (well if we’re honest, my wife did!!), I hassled people to bug test it. Before too long, it was finished. I’d done it!

I'm still in shock to be honest and i'm pretty sure it'll take quite some time to sink in. Its a dumb game, its annoyingly tough in places, more than a little bit surreal. But, it’s my dumb game and I love it.

Final Thoughts.

I guess this whole piece is just my stab at being motivational. Please believe me when I say that If I can do it, so can you! Start small, work consistently, but most importantly make something that you want to make. Ignore trends, do your own thing. I'm not saying that you need to do something revolutionary, just something that has your personality built into it. Having a personal connection to your project makes a big difference. I hope this has been, at the very least entertaining and potentially motivating. Either way, thanks for reading.

If you want to check out ‘Don't Die! Douche!’ I’ll pop the steam page link below.

Take care and try to be nice to one another.

Big Love

Matt

https://store.steampowered.com/app/1399990/Dont_Die_Douche/