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I'm quitting my job of 4 1/2 years next week to pursue a passion project. I woke up a bit ago, am sitting on the couch, procrastinating, and dwelling on the bit

I'm quitting my job of 4 1/2 years next week to pursue a passion project. I woke up a bit ago, am sitting on the couch, procrastinating, and dwelling on the bittersweet realization that I'm going to be lacking job security soon. Exciting times. I'm building a "sneaky" mental health app. It presents as if it were a modern, sci-fi take on Tamagotchi coupled with a daily self-reflection routine. You find yourself surprisingly compelled to nurture your virtual pet, commit to the routine, and then the software nudges you to journal and meditate since you're already showing up for your pet. I'm excited to see how I improve myself with my software and if I can touch others who might typically be reticent of adopting additional self-care habits. Sorry, I didn't mean to turn this into a pitch, but now you know where my head is at. :)

fallat 4y ago
Investing in yourself is job security. It's literally why I've never had to worry about work :) Good on you :D
- SeanAnderson 4y ago
  I agree :) I take some time off after every career stint and have always felt more refreshed and alive by the end of it. I think I interview better, too. No regrets or second-guessing. Just a lot of awareness of my spending habits, hah. Thanks for the words of encouragement.
leetrout 4y ago
Oooo. So is this gonna work like Finch?
- SeanAnderson 4y ago
  Yeah! I definitely consider Finch to be in friendly competition with what will become Symbiant. :) The largest difference is how our audiences discover and think about us. Finch users feel they need help and seek out Finch. Finch understands this, calls attention to the needing help, and presents itself as an anxiety-free warm hug. Finch wants users to "come out of their shell" and to engage with the world. Then, Finch nudges that engagement towards self-improvement. It's great. Symbiant users think they're fine as-is (but are underappreciating how far from the ceiling they are), frequently lean into gaming to wind-down and as a means of escapism, and are more likely to adopt concepts that make themselves feel "smart" rather than applying labels to themselves that make them feel like they need fixing. Symbiant strives to talk about mental health at a higher level of abstraction, hinting at the complexities of psychology, and allows the user to feel like they are discovering knowledge by connecting all the dots. It then provides tools to allow the user to apply their new knowledge. Think of how Papers, Please or This War of Mine strive to educate users about political tyranny and war, but do so in atypical ways. You're not the tyrant or war hero - you're a pawn in the overarching story. After playing, the user is touched with an understanding that feels more well-rounded having learned from a unique, atypical perspective. My goal is to construct and provide a similar learning experience around mental health, self-reflection, and habituation.
  - leetrout 4y ago
    Are you going to be working in the open? Blog or some such where I could follow along?
    - SeanAnderson 4y ago
      I absolutely will be, but I do not have a reliable blog link to give you yet. I'll send you a message when I have one. My plan is to release weekly blog posts, stream development on Twitch, and vaguely attempt to monetize the process not just the result. There is a Discord invite in my profile. It's quiet, aside from my monologue rambling about lore, functional requirements, etc. The community is all of my current and ex-coworkers who are following the project. You're welcome to join, but it's not a great source of information right now. Thanks for asking! I found your questions exceptionally motivating. :)

fallat 4y ago

Investing in yourself is job security. It's literally why I've never had to worry about work :) Good on you :D

SeanAnderson 4y ago
I agree :) I take some time off after every career stint and have always felt more refreshed and alive by the end of it. I think I interview better, too. No regrets or second-guessing. Just a lot of awareness of my spending habits, hah. Thanks for the words of encouragement.

leetrout 4y ago

Oooo. So is this gonna work like Finch?

SeanAnderson 4y ago
Yeah! I definitely consider Finch to be in friendly competition with what will become Symbiant. :) The largest difference is how our audiences discover and think about us. Finch users feel they need help and seek out Finch. Finch understands this, calls attention to the needing help, and presents itself as an anxiety-free warm hug. Finch wants users to "come out of their shell" and to engage with the world. Then, Finch nudges that engagement towards self-improvement. It's great. Symbiant users think they're fine as-is (but are underappreciating how far from the ceiling they are), frequently lean into gaming to wind-down and as a means of escapism, and are more likely to adopt concepts that make themselves feel "smart" rather than applying labels to themselves that make them feel like they need fixing. Symbiant strives to talk about mental health at a higher level of abstraction, hinting at the complexities of psychology, and allows the user to feel like they are discovering knowledge by connecting all the dots. It then provides tools to allow the user to apply their new knowledge. Think of how Papers, Please or This War of Mine strive to educate users about political tyranny and war, but do so in atypical ways. You're not the tyrant or war hero - you're a pawn in the overarching story. After playing, the user is touched with an understanding that feels more well-rounded having learned from a unique, atypical perspective. My goal is to construct and provide a similar learning experience around mental health, self-reflection, and habituation.
- leetrout 4y ago
  Are you going to be working in the open? Blog or some such where I could follow along?
  - SeanAnderson 4y ago
    I absolutely will be, but I do not have a reliable blog link to give you yet. I'll send you a message when I have one. My plan is to release weekly blog posts, stream development on Twitch, and vaguely attempt to monetize the process not just the result. There is a Discord invite in my profile. It's quiet, aside from my monologue rambling about lore, functional requirements, etc. The community is all of my current and ex-coworkers who are following the project. You're welcome to join, but it's not a great source of information right now. Thanks for asking! I found your questions exceptionally motivating. :)