2024 has come to a close. For another year, in what seems to be a continuing streak, I’ve dedicated myself to learning and creating video games.

I want to bid farewell to 2024 and welcome 2025 by summarizing what I’ve accomplished during the year and, of course, giving thanks for the good things that have happened.

Professionaly

The year began with me joining the Tentativo Studios team. It was a mix of luck and taking a chance that led a group of game developers to create Flantastic Café Run. I could call it the flagship game of 2024. In September, we were able to publish it on the Google Play Store, and I must say that, although the reach has been very limited, the result was quite good.

Around March, I also participated, with some members of Tentativo Studios, in the Mermelada Game Jam 2. The game we managed to create in just 72 hours was Dead Men Do Tell Tales. Again, I’m very proud of the result.

During the rest of the year, in addition to the development of Flantastic Cafe Run, work, life, and some personal development projects like Snake 2D, nothing particularly noteworthy happened until September.

In September, I was laid off from my job for reasons completely beyond my control (company financial problems), and I decided to fully commit to video games. I enrolled in a Game Design and Development degree program.

In October, I participated in the Crazy Web Game Jam 2024 with a team of complete strangers from different nationalities, and the game we were able to create was Meals & Monsters. A game that unfortunately didn’t meet expectations, even though the idea, art, and sound were very good. I hope to have time this year to finish it.

And now, at the end of the year, in addition to my own development projects and a year and a half of university coursework that I’m tackling simultaneously, I’ve landed a part-time job that has nothing to do with video games but allows me to bring home a paycheck.

I believe it has been a good year in terms of game development and portfolio building. I’m also investing heavily in this degree, and my idea for 2025 is to raise the bar and not only participate in more complex and professional projects but also find ways to gain more recognition and build my personal brand.

Personally

On the personal side, I’m very happy. It has been a great year; I have thoroughly enjoyed my son Félix and my family. We were able to travel to Belgium, Italy, Denmark… We have established new routines, and ultimately, it’s a pleasure to see how my son grows, learns, and how much we love each other every day.

In some way, I believe this is the key to true happiness: fighting for what you want, personally and professionally, while achieving those goals.

Now it’s time to rest and enjoy one more week before returning with renewed energy at the start of 2025.

Happy New Year to everyone!