Looking Back on 2017
I would like to firstly take this opportunity to wish everyone a prosperous and a happy new year!
This post will not be discussing any specific project, game development concept or anything similar - it is essentially just a few reflections on the last year.
2017 has been both eventful and productive for me; having furthered forward within my Masters Programme, and now actually working on my final dissertation, to having furthered my game development with Foundation of Civilization being my primary project the past few months, and also upgrading the blog to a full-website.
These specific highlights have been key moments in terms of my personal work projects, academic knowledge and qualifications, and game development craft and practice. The last year has seen Foundation of Civilization move from being a small side project to being the primary project I will be dedicating a majority of my focus on during the coming months. It offers numerous new challenges as I begin to approach it's development in a far more focused and deliberate manner; and my hope is to bring it to a point where it can become a fully-fledged game that I feel proud of placing my name onto. However, it will still remain a learning experience. Keeping into perspective the new challenges that the project will bring, one needs to remember that learning is a key part of early projects in one's pursuits.
The new website has been planned for a fairly long while. Whilst the old blog served as a good platform to put forward updates, act as a type of journal, and blog; the website needed to fulfill a larger purpose. Aside from housing the blog itself, it needed to house the portfolio, as well as fulfill other tasks such as hosting prototypes online in a concentrated place.
Academically, the Masters Programme I have been following has been providing me with a lot of insights and perspective. It offers new ways to think and look at games, whilst at the same time offers ways to understand games in ways that solidify the importance I believe games have in many of our lives. Going into the Masters programme, my intention had from the start been that the academic aspect should help improve my practical aspect in terms of game development, and I am happy to see that after a year in the programme it is doing just that. As I work on my final dissertation, I do look forward to sitting down and finally getting to work on practical game development however.
The new year is looking to be a productive and busy one - with potential opportunities presenting themselves, and plans being put into motion. I do hope that many of you who may still be on the fence about trying something you've really been meaning to do, such as starting your own game project, or simply doing something you're passionate about - you find that this year will be one where you can do so.
Regardless - I wish you a happy new year, and a prosperous new year once more!