The Punk Game Manifesto

So you think you should focus on polish? Fuck that.

Make something rough, something battle-scarred, something that shows the struggle of making a game that 3 people and your mom are going to play.

Make something special, not shiny.

Make scrappy prototypes, make joke games, make anything and everything that comes into your mind in a span of a few hours. Make scratch-ware, make the music you would hear coming from some shitty, underground bar populated by punks throwing warm beer at each other and yet, somehow, produce deep and personal songs. Make punk rock out of your games.

Fuck the standard of the “iii” indie games, that pretend to be “AAA” games, be the lonely “i” in the “i make video-games”. In your room, in your bed, in your spare time or even sneaking some features during work hours, make something only you can make. Not from code, but from your mind.

Stop focusing on “original ideas” and just be original. You must make games that are you, because you are defined by the games you make.

Stop worrying about people stealing your ideas. That won’t fucking happen if your games are you. They can’t copy you.

Stop sweating about which engine to use. It doesn’t matter. They’re tools, and you use the tools, not get used by them. Or judged by the tools you use.

Be stubborn, make a game you just want to make for the sake of making it. Or because it’s fun to make it. Publish your game and delete the source code, make it special, not permanent.

You can make games, because I can. So please, please, just make something. And make it you.

Make something special, not shiny.