I started my journey in games as a programmer. More specifically, I began using LUA scripting on a Linux-based engine designed for a coin-operated venture in a small village in Southern Italy.
Then I moved to Barcelona and got my first job in gambling games. I was a C/C++ programmer at Zitro, working on video bingos. I owe them a lot; I learned Spanish there, and today, I design games because of gambling games. It’s true that there are ethical issues with them, but I believe that their simplicity and clear motivational framework make them a great way to start in game design. I began buying books on game design because of gambling games, trying to understand why they were so boring to me yet so profitable.
Life and my career moved on, and I kept programming on the side. Today, I’m more on the strategic/executive side of things, thankfully because I gained more experience and managed to stay in the industry. Still, I love the sensations that programming gives, and I particularly enjoy Python and C++. I bought a course to learn a bit of Unreal Engine this week. My goal is to start it and perhaps create a prototype for my Capoeira ARPG game.
Stay tuned and have a great week, everybody.