Hi! 👋

You did it! You're officially reading my first ever devlog (which is more like a blog post) on my website. This post marks the official start of something new for me — my journey to become a self-employed indie game developer, someone capable of paying all the bills by doing something I truly love. But before I dive into the future of this indie game studio, let me reset and take a deep dive into my past to show you how I got here.

Where I Came From

Born in Munich in the early 90s, I count myself as part of "Gen Y" or the Millennials. My childhood was unique — no internet, yet surrounded by gaming technology. The Game Boy was always with me and my friends, and gaming was already a huge part of my life.

My parents would say the typical "go play outside" phrases, and that's exactly what we did. Me and some friends sat outside in the sun with our Game Boys, playing Pokémon, Zelda, or whatever games we had. I still remember a day when we took it so far that a friend pulled out his PS1 with a super long extension cable and we sat in the grass, gaming together on his PlayStation.

What Happened Later

By the age of 16, I went to a technical college with my best friend Lukas — someone who would play an important role later in this story and in my game development journey.

The first days at college came and went, and I quickly noticed this programmer in my class talking about technical and programming stuff. Somehow, we didn't match at first sight. I was in a "hardcore" rapping phase — baggy pants, gold chain, short hair. Pretty cool, right? But then there was Aaron, with his long blonde hair, complete black clothing, heavy metal look, and military combat boots.

But what was he even talking about? Why did he know so much about programming? What was he programming? I was curious, we started talking, we laughed, and we became friends. Aaron became my first programming mentor.

I started learning basic scripting languages, then C, briefly attempted C++ (but quit fast), and soon my whole life revolved around coding and gaming — day in, day out. My parents were a bit shocked. To them, it seemed like a weird world I was living in. But I knew after college, I'd study computer science and keep moving towards software development and eventually game development.

After College

All of us graduated and went to university. After about two years, Lukas quit. I was in shock. How could he do that? I confronted him and asked, "Why did you quit? What are you going to do now? How can you just quit university? How will you pay your bills?"

He smiled and said, "I realized university isn't for me. Don't worry about me — I'm becoming self-employed and will eventually live off that with ease."

I, still shocked, didn't understand. I heard my parents' voices in my head: "You need a safe job!", "Safety is the key!", "Go find a good employer!"

So that's what I did. I finished my bachelor's degree and started working as a test engineer in the automotive industry. It was a stable job, but not exactly the creative indie game dev dream I had in my head.

The Itch in My Head

After close to 8 years in the automotive industry — constantly testing software, with almost zero time for innovations and ideas I wanted to implement. The message i always received was: "You can program that toy later."

But here's the thing: every tool they called a "toy" saves enormous time.

I started programming tools secretly that I could use in the company to boost my team's productivity. When I said "I made that tool" — they said "good job." When I said nothing, they'd think: "We don't need tools; you're just super fast!" Yes, because of my tools.

Then there was a burnout. Then a sort of depression. My work felt uncomfortable. I felt unwelcome. I was stuck with "No, you're not allowed to be innovative." For someone who loves coding, problem-solving and game design, that felt like a cage.

Several calls with my best friend Lukas later (yes, he's now living off his self-employment today) encouraged me repeatedly to become self-employed. "You just need to try and figure it out," he'd say. "Otherwise, you'll never know."

I am still a gamer and still love coding. I started small Unity projects here and there and slowly moved closer to actual indie game development. As my discomfort grew, so did the itch. Then I thought: "Look at Lukas — he did it years ago with his passion. I have a passion too. Let's give it a chance."

The Ultimate Restart

August 2025: I quit my job. My wife, our son and I packed our bags and we emigrated from Germany.

January 1st, 2026: I officially started my journey as a full-time indie game developer.

And here we are. This is where this devlog and this indie game studio truly begin.

Looking Ahead on This Game Dev Journey

This chapter of my life will be exciting and amazing! Thanks to my friends Lukas and Aaron, who were key figures in my life and shaped my path as a game developer. Hopefully, along this game development journey, I'll meet many new people who I'll mention in future devlogs as key figures in my indie game dev story.

Huge thanks to everyone reading this — every single one of you is a silent supporter of this indie game developer's journey. ❤️

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