Why did I make Raven?

Let's set the scene:

I graduated college in May 2020, peak coronavirus times. This meant I didn't have a job lined up. After a few months of applications and interviews, I found something. Woo! This was a great software gig with a little caveat: I wouldn't start until January 2021. I had six months to kill. Netflix got old after one month.

I love making things in my free time (3D printing, woodworking, coding, graphic design), so I figured that I'd start a project. About 6 months earlier, I redesigned the playing cards from Rook. I was taking a game development class at the time, and planned on using them to remake the card game into a video game. I shelved this project once exams hit.

So in October 2020 with no job and nothing to do, I decided to pick it up again. I started logging my hours in a spreadsheet and treating it like a real job, putting full work days into it.

After starting my real job in January '21, work on Raven tapered off for a while. My contract prevented me from any side-hustles. In November I made a switch though, and my new company provided me the freedom to pursue my passion project in my free time. My ‘22 New Years resolution was to finally finish my game in the first half of this year.

This started out as a fun side-project, but it's given me the opportunity to learn the ins and outs of game development. I'm anxious to get Raven on the App Store, but even more anxious for the projects that will follow.