The Book of True Will

So. It came out of nowhere. But it happened. The Book of True Will is RMN's Featured Game for November. When I uploaded the first download for this project now almost a year ago, I never expected it to get more than a small amount of attention. I was, and still am, happy to see the generally positive feedback and constructive criticism it received. But I never thought that this game, this short epiphany of mine expressed in game form, would ever get Featured.

At an earlier point, I already openly expressed my opinion that I myself do not believe The Book of True Will to be a good enough game to warrant a Feature. Yet for some reason, people wanted to see it on the front page anyway. Which is amazing, and makes me feel both very proud and very humble. But seeing the title screen of my own game right there every time I go to RMN for a month is going to feel incredibly surreal.

But in addition to that, this situation becomes even more confusing for me due to its timing. Just mere days ago, the winners of the IGMC 2015 have been announced. We can see all these fantastic-looking games that managed to convince a large audience of players and a group of experienced and critical judges, and have been rewarded with substantial prizes. And right at this time, with so many great options to choose from, RMN decides to Feature this little RTP-based puzzle game about a controversial subject. The irony is almost tangible here.

That's not to say I'm being ungrateful or don't appreciate the positive attention. On the contrary, I feel enormously honoured and encouraged by the fact that people apparently enjoyed this game so much despite its limitations. Since the release of The Book of True Will, I have learned much about its strengths and flaws thanks to all the feedback you have given me. And even though there are a number of things about this game I would do differently now, I still am very happy with how the final product turned out. It was important for me to express my thoughts on the game's subject in a way that would make the recipient feel involved and encouraged to think critically but openly about them. And if this Featured Game spotlight means that some more players might give this game a chance, then that's already more than I could ask for.


Of course, if all of this was just a big conspiracy, trying to trick me into getting motivated to make more games... well, you achieved your goal. For the first time in months, during which I played, tested and/or made puzzles for other people's games, today I have been working on a project of my own again. There are many more stories I want to tell, and many more games that, one day, I want to be playable not only in my head. Either way, with this Feature, you've ensured that I will not lose interest in game making for a long time to come. In other words, you brought this upon yourselves.


One last thing I cannot say often and loudly enough:

Thank you so much, all of you, for your support!