I make a bit of a habit to try and enter into Ludum Dare as frequently as possible. It\u2019s become almost a ritual of mine to try and do something with it no matter the theme since my first LD entry of \u201cArcane\u201d for LD #18 \u2013 Enemies as Weapons.<\/p>\n
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Boy the amount of stuff I\u2019ve learnt through this. When I started this I was a novice game developer who did a bit of everything except programming. Since then I\u2019ve been constantly trying different things and genres with each entry, testing out ideas and mechanics unfamiliar to me. It\u2019s really helped me a great deal.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s quite often that people sing the praise of indie developers. The Notch\u2019s and McMillen\u2019s to the Amaya\u2019s and Nygren\u2019s. There\u2019s a lot of names that get out there, and just as many, if not more that aren\u2019t. I think it\u2019s kind of a shame really that some names stick and others don\u2019t, especially when the quality of the games these guys put out are often always top notch, if Ludum Dare is anything to go by.<\/p>\n
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It\u2019s that adage I keep hearing, \u201cGame Development is like making a film, where you grind your own lenses\u201d that sticks true to me. The end user isn\u2019t going to notice the hours slaved over tweaking animations, or creating smooth menus, \u00a0or the horrible little quirks that comes with engines like the inversion of y values for the Box2D physics on Game Maker Studio (Seriously guys? Seriously.) But Hell, to get a game done and out, finished and playable for people to enjoy, and for those players to actually, honestly enjoy the thing is seriously a humbling feeling. No game is flawless, the same as no film is flawless or no book is flawless, but its the flaws as much as the strengths to a game that adds character to the product. I think these flaws and nicks give games some added flavor. They make these things human, they\u2019re not merely simulations but actual things that hold sentimental or emotional depth. I think Ludum Dare really brings that adage of grinding lenses to its core. Everything focused out in those 48 hours will often not be pristine or absolutely bugless, but in each game you can feel the effort put into it, and see the progress we make as developers and admirers of the art form. A Bad Game is always Bad, this much is true, but I don\u2019t think there are ever really \u201cBad\u201d Games on Ludum Dare, they\u2019re all part and process of growing as developers.<\/p>\n
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So here\u2019s my salute to the past Developers of Ludum Dare who have moved onto other things, to the current Devs who are planning and running for this month\u2019s LD, and to the future Devs who have yet to pluck up the courage to try this foray into crunch-time, to make a game they\u2019ve always wanted to do. Without folks like them who break blocks both creative and conventional, LD wouldn\u2019t be where it is today. Experiment on, and we\u2019ll be experimenting with you.<\/p>\n
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As always, Count Me In.<\/p>\n
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My Tools<\/p>\n
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I\u2019m really excited to see what LD #26 has in store for us. Lets Rock!<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>","time":"April 16th, 2013 8:01 pm","title":"I\u2019m In! And a bit of a reflection too","title_was_empty":false}