This past year was like a rollercoaster, filled with so many unexpected twists and turns that my plans for making and finishing games got pushed to the back seat. It all started when we adopted a kitten, which was just the beginning of many big changes. I realized I needed to switch jobs to spend more time at home with my new kitten and wife. Then, we decided it was the perfect time to grow our family and welcome a baby. With our family getting bigger, we also needed to find a bigger place to live. It felt like more changed in this one year than in the last five combined!
Even though the world didn’t fall into World War 3, and despite having high hopes to do a lot, like writing 54 blog posts (I only managed 12) and finishing my book (it’s still being checked and added to), I didn’t get much done on the game front either. But I did make some progress here and there. Let me share a bit about each game:
"Virus: Roll and Write": This game was almost done, but then I changed a rule that messed things up a bit. I fixed it, though, and now it’s ready to go. I’m planning to published it with KOZAK Games to introduce it to the world through crowdfunding.
"Solo": I took this game to a Board Game Designer Camp and got lots of helpful suggestions. After tweaking it a bit, it’s almost ready. It’s about solving puzzles on your own, which I think is really cool. I’m hoping to get it ready for crowdfunding by the end of the year.
"Dog game": The art for this game is all done – it’s a cute card game about animals. Ukrainian animals and their stories during this war. The hardest is to decide the name for this game. Next up is getting it ready for print. Maybe it’ll launch alongside "Virus: Roll and Write".
"Racing game": I didn’t even touch this one last year. It’s a big project about racing cars with special powers. I’m crossing my fingers that I’ll find some publisher willing to help make it a reality this year.
"Old New": This game got a few illustrations done for its cards. I’m aiming to have it all set by the end of this year, so maybe next year we can introduce it to players.
"Dino Day": A publisher is looking at this one right now. It’s a game with mechanics that I’m really proud of, all about dinosaurs. And I’ve even made another dino game aimed at really young kids.
"Never? Again…": This is a tough one for me because it’s about the war, and that’s still going on. I want to help and make sure the game does justice to what’s happening, hoping for peace soon.
"Inside Me": This game is almost ready to share with the world. It’s for 1-3 players and got second place in a big game contest as a best solo game, which is pretty awesome. I’ve tested it a lot, and people seem to enjoy it. Finally, I don't know what I can do better there.
This year, I really want to get something new out there, especially since last year was all about reprinting old games and getting a small game published in a magazine. I'm ready to tackle new projects and bring my ideas to life. Let’s see what this year brings!