Now
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Last Update: 2024-Dec-14
Spritemage Games, Goblin Hotdogs
In April I founded Spritemage Games. You can get some first impressions from my inaugural blog post. Now I'm continuing to slowly build out the company, and continuing to work on the company's debut game, Goblin Hotdogs. It's great to have the game out in Early Access, if for no other reason than getting experience with game publishing and getting feedback from early players.
Company and Employment Goals
Starting the company while not focusing on more lucrative work was a luxury, but now that some of the initial hurdles have been cleared, I'm happy to make it a side project. I miss working with other engineers and working on projects that affect a wider audience. So, I'm looking for other work. So far there are a couple enticing candidates, so I'm excited to see where the future leads!
Continuing Education
Over time I've gained a more nuanced appreciation of the role of books in continuing education. Whereas before my primary source of continuing education was reading textbooks cover-to-cover, now I'm enjoying digging in to experimentation, and supplementing as-needed with research. Specifically, I've spent some time familiarizing myself with modern Laravel (my last Laravel experience being almost a decade ago), and I'm brushing up on Leetcode and DSA-style code puzzles.
Health
I'm continuing with my powerlifting hobby, and it is doing wonders for my physical and mental health. I've never felt healthier, stronger, and more present. Looking forward to continuing this practice.
Previously Now
Highlights and follow-up from previous updates:2024-Feb-01
- I was reading
The Design of Everyday Things, by Don Norman.
- I'm now finished, and it has been added to my shelf of "career books worth keeping". Its discussion of affordances and signifiers is a great way to frame design thinking, and the book is full of delightful real-world examples.
- Starting tutorials for learning game development
- After a couple small tutorials, I felt comfortable deciding that Unreal Engine was a good choice of game engine. I then turned my attention to building out something more substantial, and have since founded Spritemage Games and launched my debut game Goblin Hotdogs on Steam in Early Access.
My wife and dog were featured. They continue to be the center of my life.