Two years of TCHOW (intro)

One of the reasons I redid my web page design recently is that I intend to use it to document the upcoming two years, which may end up being interesting. Let me tell you more about why.

The Idea

I've often spent my spare time working on games and art projects. It's been a hobby; a useful distraction; and an outlet for [and generator of] structured procrastination. It's something that I wanted to do as I was growing up, and never really stopped wanting to do. Yet somehow I got a PhD, got a research job, and find myself doing that now.

It's probably because research is really fun.

But what if I were to leave my research job, and just work on games full-time? Work on my own games, with complete artistic control and design freedom?

Well, over the next two years, that's exactly what I'm going to try.

More Concretely

On September 28th, I leave my (great) job at Adobe. On September 29th, I leave my (nice) apartment in Union Sq.

After a short flight, I arrive in Pittsburgh. I have the savings required to live comfortably (like a poor grad student) there for the next two years. And that is exactly what I plan to do. Live frugally, write good code, make the games I want to make, and see what comes of it.

My overall goal isn't to "start a game company" (though 'TCHOW' is a registered fictitious name for my sole proprietorship in PA). Rather, I want to complete projects and get them out for other people to purchase and play. Best case, I enjoy writing games full time and make enough money so that it becomes self-sustaining. More likely, I enjoy writing games full time but have to get a real job again in two years.

I guess we'll see what happens.