In the Absence of Game Industry

My #gamedev Story

I’ve been a part of the game industry since me and my brother got our first computer, the Spectrum ZX. Now that I changed from gamer to game developer, that time feels very distant.

Games were always present as I grew up, my first console was the Super Nintendo and I played Super Mario World, The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past and Prince of Persia endlessly.

My last Super Nintendo game was Secret of Mana and I spent the summer playing it. I stopped at the final boss, the Mana Beast, and never got the chance to kill it. Years later, equipped with an emulator and a controller, I did him in and reached closure.

As I grew I had to choose where my life was heading next. I was undecided between journalism and “computers”, which despite my gaming and IT sensibilities, were still a nebulous thing in my mind at the age of 16. You must understand that “designing and developing games” was never an option for me. Such a thing as a Game Industry does not exist where I live, so I chose the closest thing possible: programming. After seven years of learning and three years “working for the man”, I’m finally preparing something special.

My #gamer Country

Here’s where I live, Portugal, highlighted in red:
Canabalt, Markus Persson of Minecraft fame, among others, set out examples of successful game design and hype generation with great payoffs. They are examples to be followed, not copied, because each achieved recognition in their own different way.

The advent of self-publishing removes previous constraints and every day we see more people going indie, forming their own companies, learning the trade and spreading the love of game development.

I’m going to do my part and I’ll tell you how it goes.