As I failed to post a single blog entry whilst I was actually making my game I thought I’d instead lump it all into some horrendous mega-post after the event.  Only the brave should read on.

So my game, Escaping the Rat Race…, is all about how working for the man sucks and how we all would like to quit and make a shed load of cash doing something infinitely cooler, like developing our own indie games (if we haven’t done already!).  That’s the escape, the escape of being your own boss.  I have to say I made this game from the perspective of someone who’s never done it, I’m sure it’s not all wonderful and rosy, but the feeling of getting up in the morning and knowing you’re going to work on something you personally care about and have a massive stake in is frankly intoxicating.

In with that context in mind that you should play the game.  Some of the design and content decisions I made were extremely specific, including making some elements of the game frustrating and annoying because I thought it best represented my message.  Please don’t hate me for them, and, in hindsight, maybe you should turn down the sound in the rat race section…  There are a couple of annoying bugs with some of the variables and the rats tail is still hilariously disembodied but I probably wouldn’t change a great deal about the game apart from a little spit and polish here and there, including spending more time on the frankly very crude graphics.

This is the first game I have made in a long time, probably something ridiculous like over 10 years.  I used to make little games on Klik and Play in my mid-teens and then I didn’t even think about making any for ages.  It’s only recently I’ve decided I do really like games and want to have a hand in making them.  Alas I’m not a programmer, or an artist, or anything particularly useful for making games (I’m a mechanical engineer in another life) so it’s always been that nagging hobby I’ve never indulged again until now.  Therefore I ‘cheated’ and used Scirra Construct Classic which was only mildly frustrated in places.  Ludum Dare has been such an awe inspiring and encouraging event for me and I cannot fathom the quality of some entries.

I realise I’m probably rambling by now so I’ll finish off – it didn’t turn out to be that epic a post after all.  Please let me know what you think of my little entry, I’d be intrigued.