4 ms·

The only time I coded anything in the last 3 years (been a manager) was during a hackathon -- I made a videogame that integrated our technology in a novel way t

The only time I coded anything in the last 3 years (been a manager) was during a hackathon -- I made a videogame that integrated our technology in a novel way to expose a new market segment. It was by far the most engaged I have ever been to the extent that I booked weekend nannies around the clock to get more time put into it, probably 130 hours spent that week. The end result was something I was actually proud of, which is something slinging ads has never been [for anyone]. Afterwards, I fell into a depression, told my manager I was switching to an IC role, and even debated quitting entirely to pursue indie game dev (just about financially independent, would easily make it to a supply-side-favored environment should I wish to return to corp nonsense). Unfortunately, it's difficult to give up mid 6s for what would most likely be 0 income ever even if it meant being content.

nyarlathotep_ 4y ago
Did you use something like Unreal or Unity for this, or start at a more foundational level and deal directly with graphics APIs etc.? I ask as a matter of curiosity and personal interest--it's something I'd like to learn as a hobbyist, but my knowledge is limited to simple OpenGL tutorials and the (relatively speaking) watered-down Graphics course I took in College years back.
- frakt0x90 4y ago
  I would strongly recommend starting with an engine like Unity. You can prototype and get something functional SO fast. It's extremely rewarding and keeps in the dopamine loop. There's not sense in struggling through OpenGL to build an engine from scratch unless that's what gets your rocks off or you have an explicit need for it.
- lightbendover 4y ago
  I worked in WebGL without a game or graphics engine sitting on top, because I'm both a masochist and egoist. If you haven't ever dipped your feet into RTR before (or don't have an interest in "doing everything yourself" / flexing or have a desire to be productive without building your own tooling), I have to recommend Unity or Unreal.

nyarlathotep_ 4y ago

Did you use something like Unreal or Unity for this, or start at a more foundational level and deal directly with graphics APIs etc.? I ask as a matter of curiosity and personal interest--it's something I'd like to learn as a hobbyist, but my knowledge is limited to simple OpenGL tutorials and the (relatively speaking) watered-down Graphics course I took in College years back.

frakt0x90 4y ago
I would strongly recommend starting with an engine like Unity. You can prototype and get something functional SO fast. It's extremely rewarding and keeps in the dopamine loop. There's not sense in struggling through OpenGL to build an engine from scratch unless that's what gets your rocks off or you have an explicit need for it.
lightbendover 4y ago
I worked in WebGL without a game or graphics engine sitting on top, because I'm both a masochist and egoist. If you haven't ever dipped your feet into RTR before (or don't have an interest in "doing everything yourself" / flexing or have a desire to be productive without building your own tooling), I have to recommend Unity or Unreal.