Jekyll2023-05-01T23:50:46+00:00/feed.xmlHenry Warren's development blog. Thoughts, programming, and project updates.2021-03-03T18:32:13+00:002021-03-03T18:32:13+00:00/posts/2021/03/03/building-the-game-i-want-to-play<h3 id="a-new-hobby">A New Hobby</h3> <p>Around the start of the pandemic I discovered that there are few things that bring me more joy than playing and creating music on my electric piano. I was reunited with this instrument after a long hiatus and I’ve had a wonderful time getting back into it.</p> <p>Skill-wise I am somewhere around low-intermediate, knowing enough to read music and annoy roommates with the same ten songs. I enjoy playing keyboard immensely as a hobby and I find it very rewarding as I continue to improve.</p> <h3 id="the-idea-graveyard">The Idea Graveyard</h3> <p>Around the same time I rediscovered electric piano, I also started to recognize a very persistent and all-too-common thought pattern of mine; <strong>I have an idea for a new piece of software that I deeply want to exist, but I don’t pursue building it because of lack of time + XYZ</strong>. Let me know if any of these sound familiar to you</p> <blockquote> <p>“Someone else has already created something that’s vaguely similar”</p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p>“Nobody will use it except for me”</p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p>“The project is too big for just one person”</p> </blockquote> <blockquote> <p>“It’s difficult to monetize and therefore it’s not a worthwhile endeavour”</p> </blockquote> <p>This is where my brain typically fought itself. I’d come up with a few of these reasons and shut down my idea. Sometimes my idea would even turn into a bit of code before my brain shut it down, ultimately putting the project to rest among a slew of other abandoned github repositories.</p> <h3 id="novel-inspiration">Novel Inspiration</h3> <p>It was about six months ago when I first got the inspiration for Midi Matches. I can recall a specific time when I was participating in a favorite activity of mine; turning on an old funk song and playing my own keyboard over it, making it up as I go.</p> <p>I was having such a great time jamming out by myself while sheltered in place that I had a very memorable thought; <strong>Improvisational keyboard is such a blast. I want to have a shared experience with others around this activity that does not require being in the same physical space</strong>.</p> <p>I got a warm and tingly feeling realizing that I can build such an experience myself, and I can build it with software! This kicked off a long brainstorm session of how to implement such a project through the most compelling, accessible, and approachable software medium possible.</p> <p>After a good bit of thought and research, I concluded that my best bet for creating the experience I desired would be a web browser-based online multiplayer game where players can plug their MIDI keyboards into their computers and play scored games with each other in realtime. Thus, Midi Matches was born.</p> <h3 id="so-far-so-good">So Far So Good!</h3> <p>While there is plenty of work left on this project, I have made significant progress six months in and I am still feeling compelled to work on it. I believe the key difference this time around is that I am building <strong>a software project in a domain that I’m passionate about that I can’t wait to use myself</strong>.</p> <p>Since working on a project that inspires me in this way, all of those pesky arguments against building a project seem more like excuses, and I find myself spending contemplative time asking constructive questions about the project itself rather than talking myself out of building it. Thanks for reading!</p> <ul> <li>Midi Matches Project Repository: <a href="https://github.com/henrysdev/midimatches">https://github.com/henrysdev/midimatches</a></li> <li>Midi Matches Development Build (not stable!): <a href="https://midimatches.com/">https://midimatches.com/</a></li> </ul>

A New Hobby