Fishy thing sea Journey
by Clyde Tsiu | 29-Oct-2025 | guides
The motivation to become a game developer in 2025 is both thrilling and intimidating. The industry is saturated with brilliant creators and rapid innovation, but for me, taking that first step wasn’t about competing — it was about proving to myself that I could build something meaningful from my life’s lessons. In under one month I published my first mobile game, Fishy Thing: Sea Journey, a small project that stands for so much more than its size: it’s a test, a proof of concept, and the first chapter of an ongoing journey.
My Background
I’ve always been fascinated with video games and computers. That curiosity led me to study Computer Systems, where I learned the fundamentals of coding and how software pieces fit together. To build a portfolio I made websites and apps — practical learning that taught me how to ship work, even when the outcome was uncertain.
Securing a job wasn’t easy. After many applications I landed a role as a Junior Digital Consultant in a financial institution. The position paid the bills and sharpened my professional skills, but it did not satisfy my creative appetite. I wanted creation, iteration, and a career that allowed me to craft experiences rather than merely maintain them.
I tried entrepreneurship next: building apps, mini SaaS tools, graphics, and animations. The business didn’t succeed the way I hoped, but the experience was invaluable. Failure taught me resilience, taught me how to pivot quickly, and taught me that every attempt adds to the set of skills I can apply to future projects.
Why Game Development?
When I discovered game development, everything clicked. It combined coding, design, art, animation, and audio — all the things I enjoyed in one craft. Even a simple game can be a complete creative product, containing story, mechanics, and player emotion. Working on Fishy Thing reminded me why I first fell in love with technology: the sheer joy of building something playable and sharable.
The game is modest — a fish navigating obstacles across a watery world — but building it filled me with pride. I found myself playing my own game for hours. I iterated on mechanics, tightened the feel, and polished little details. That process, more than the final binary or the number of downloads, is what felt most rewarding.
“Keep moving, keep trying, and never lose hope.”
Another unexpected advantage: I thrive working from home. I enjoy long stretches of focused, solitary work where I can enter a calm, creative flow. Those quiet hours let me move fast and iterate without distraction — a huge benefit when finishing a first game prototype quickly.
What’s Next?
My plan is simple and relentless: study game design principles, level design, mechanics, storytelling, and distribution. I’ll make more small projects to sharpen specific skills — one game to learn polish, another to master user acquisition, another to practice multiplayer or procedural systems. Each project will be a lesson and a portfolio piece.
My bigger hope is to create a game that resonates with many people — something that sparks joy, reflection, or curiosity. But even if that doesn’t happen tomorrow, the path itself is worthwhile. I’ve learned that progress compounds. Small wins today make bigger wins possible tomorrow.
If this story reaches someone who’s hesitant to start: you don’t need a large team, a big budget, or a perfect plan. Start small. Learn quickly. Ship often. Fail and carry what you learned forward. The world rewards motion.
Every bit of support, no matter how small, helps me keep chasing this dream and sharing more stories with you. Thank you for being part of it 💚 Support me on PayPal
