Maker Log #0 - Origins

For the first devlog entry, I thought it’d make sense to share what led me to work on The Maker Way. Over the last decade, I noticed a growing number of doomsayers and “degrowthers” - people who believe that progress is bad, humanity is doomed and worst of all - the humans are inherently bad.

This game is about believing in the human capacity to master resources and build great things out of nothing. It’s about ignoring cynics and doomsayers, and believing in the human spirit and our ability to make a better future. It’s about understanding that the prerequisite to progress is liberty and what happens when liberty is being compromised.

We can find one of the most beautiful stories in facing doubters in the Wright brothers’ success in the face of harsh critics.

On October 9th, 1903, the New York Times published an article predicting that it would take between 1 million to 10 million years to achieve human flight.

Exactly 2 months and 8 days later, on December 17, 1903, the Wright Brothers took flight for the first time.

As a dad, I want my children to grow up in a world where we believe in our ability to invent, create, and make a better future for ourselves. I started thinking about what type of game could inspire players to think that way. After a few weeks of brainstorming with just pen and paper, I came up with an idea: a sandbox game about building and crafting, where players can create machines and robots.

But the game’s setting was also important. Originally the setting was in space, and the missions a bit mundane. Then, I realized that the best setting for the game is right here on Earth. It’s about facing real challenges and using your problem-solving skills and hard work to make this world a better place.

It’s always day 1 on this journey and I’m excited about the work on the game moving forward. The Alpha version is several months away, and I’m looking forward to getting the community’s feedback!