Devlog #4: Its Never Too Late to Make Your First Game

This week, I wanted to step back from the technical updates and talk about something a little different: the journey of actually starting.

The Spark: A Hospital Bed and a Bandicoot

I’ve wanted to make a game ever since I was four years old. I had just come out of hospital after a lot of surgery on my left arm, I had broken it falling off a slide and got a nasty bone infection called Osteomyelitis. While I was there, I properly got into gaming. The hospital had a PS1 with Tekken 1 and an N64 with Mario 64 and Yoshi’s Story.

When I finally got out, my parents, feeling bad for the rough time I’d been through, surprised me with my very own PS1 and a copy of Crash Bandicoot (bought from the now defunct UK retailer, Comet for those who remember!).

From that moment on, I was hooked. Gaming ignited a passion in me that still burns to this very day.

The Years of Self Doubt

Early on, I had the mindset that I could never really make a game. I convinced myself I didn’t have the talent or the skills, and I believed that right up until my late twenties. I wish I could go back and tell that four year old me to pursue game development full force and not to doubt himself.

But I don’t have any regrets, because now, at the tender age of 32, I’m finally pursuing my dream of releasing my own game.

A Message to Anyone Reading This

I think what I’m trying to get at is this: if anyone is reading this and also doesn’t believe they can make games, please, don’t buy into that feeling. There are so many resources nowadays to get started, and I’m a firm believer in the philosophy that the more games you make, the better you get at it.

I’ve learned so much from my career in the games industry and from making prototypes in my spare time, and I continue to learn new things every single day while making KIT - Knight in Training.

Why I’m Really Doing This

For me, the reason I’m making this game and writing these devlogs is simple: it’s fun. I genuinely enjoy the whole process, from talking about ideas and forming the game design to setting up Steam pages and doing these marketing bits and pieces.

So even if no one is reading this, at the very least I’m enjoying myself. I hope that one day, after we’ve released a bunch of games, I’ll be able to look back fondly on these devlogs and see how far we’ve come.

At the end of the day, as long as we sell 10 copies, I’ll be happy.

Thanks for reading.

Mark

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