Putting in the time isn't always a guarantee for success??

Surmount, Binding of Isaac, smaller ideas

Hi pal!

I was chatting with a friend over the phone and realized how little I have to talk about outside of Surmount right now. It’s pretty much all that my mind is circling around.

We’re at about 80% through development right now so I’m trying to put everything I want into the game. It’s bittersweet; bitter - because time is running out, sweet - because I like how it’s turning out. Part of me just wants to finish the game, the other one could go on forever.

I’m also worried that people won’t discover the game despite my marketing efforts (mostly making TikToks). It’s hit or miss, about 90% miss. I think I’m slowly getting better at it though.

The most popular TikTok is one that I had zero expectations for. When it took off I realized that I need to adjust what I think of as interesting.

I think it works well because it looks like a hyper casual mobile game the first 3 seconds and it’s a reply to a reddit post, something that people are used to seeing on TikTok. It’s also funny.

We’ve been working on the project for more than 2 years now. It makes me wonder if this game will be the biggest one I ever make. It wasn’t meant to be a big thing, just a small mobile game. But it snowballed.

It made me think about what it means to invest time into something.

Time invested != return on investment

(!= means “does not equal” in C#, Unity programming)

In 2011 Edmund McMillan released a game called The Binding of Isaac. A game that came to be widely beloved and sort of the game that everybody knows him for. It took 3 to 4 months to make it.

What’s funny is that before this game, he worked for 2 years on a game called Super Meat Boy. It’s what sent him into the spotlight as a game developer.

But today The Binding Of Isaac is the game that has stuck around, has a community and is still being played daily. By now there’s a sequel and lots of extra content added to both games, but those first 3 to 4 months was enough to make the core.

The core of The Binding Of Isaac is very simple, not impressive, it’s just really catchy and has a very thick and well executed atmosphere.

Of course this is only thinking of success in terms of money. I will be happy that I got to make this game either way. But money pouring in is also a confirmation that people like it, which I really hope they do.

Been thinking about smaller game ideas in my sketchbook.

Recent Finds

🗞️ Article - Wireframe Interview about Surmount

“Climb every mountain in the physics-based action adventure, Surmount” - Me and Jasper got interviewed by Wireframe Magazine recently!

📝 Article - Minecraft plays to the male fantasy of digging a big hole with your buds

I must have done this a few times in Minecraft, it’s a great bonding experience. It’s so satisfying to just make a great hole.

“Some parents have grown concerned about their children’s exposure to the game after hearing of the emphasis on hole-digging and chilling with the homies.”

I prefer this goofy type of writing about game design over the smarter-sounding type. I like to read about these really odd things in games that people overlook.

📙 Book - Math without numbers

I picked this up at a book shop in San Fransisco, based completely on the title. I had no idea what there would be to say about math if you don’t mention numbers. It turns out - a lot. It’s also a bit philosophical.

“For all practical uses, your intuitive understanding of shape is fine - no significant decision in your life will ever hinge on how exactly we define the word “shape.” It’s just an interesting thing to think about.”

I felt this resonates a lot with writing as well, a lot of the things I think and write about will never mean much. But some of them turn out to be useful for things far in the future that we can’t comprehend yet.

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