Why I started Making a Game- and I'm not promising to finish it

I inherited what I like to call the "how hard can it be?" gene from my mother. I approach almost any creative pursuit with that logic:

How hard can it be?

Pretty hard, is usually the answer — but it gets me past the initial fear of “what if it turns out bad?”

So with almost anything, I end up jumping into the deep end and learning how to swim from there. And you know what? It really works for me! When I have fun trying my hand at complex things I've never done, it only encourages me to keep going. For me, starting out small almost always ends up killing a project before it even takes off.

So when it came to building my fantasy world, I started big — first with a book idea, then a short story. Now I’m incorporating that lore into the plushies I make, and even starting to make a video game.

None of these projects are actually done (even though I started the book — and the world — almost seven years ago). But honestly? I’m totally okay with that.

I work on my projects when I’m excited and inspired. My mind is always buzzing with new ideas. But most importantly — and I cannot stress this enough — I work on it because it makes me happy. There’s no pressure. No deadlines. Just me, playing in my little make-believe world whenever I want.

However, leaving things unfinished means I rarely get to share them. And I want to change that. Even if I never finish this game, it’s still part of me. The world of Akara is so important to me that I just can’t seem to put it down.

So with that, I’m very happy to announce:🎮 I’m working on a video game! (despite having no experience) And it's been crazy fun! I've done so much in just the last week, and I am content with the fact that I may never finish it because it makes me happy. And to me, that's all that matters.

Art doesn't have to be perfect or marketable or even complete to be worth making.

As for the game itself:

It’s a cozy, magical life sim set in the world of Akara. Players can live a peaceful life through farming, crafting, and friendships — or choose to explore deeper mysteries hidden in the land. Inspired by games like Stardew Valley, Palia, and Spiritfarer, Life on Akara invites players to build a soft life in a magical town. Customize your home, befriend whimsical creatures, cook and craft, and interact deeply with NPCs. The main story is optional, and the world responds to your choices — whether you want to live simply or chase the threads of an ancient secret. The themes of the game revolve around healing after difficult times, even when it's hard. That’s a subject pretty close to my heart.

If you’d like to follow along, I’ll be posting progress here on my blog as a little project diary.

You can also check out my Patreon if you want exclusives or early access — but either way, I hope you stick around. And if you don’t, that’s okay too 💛

Thanks for wandering with me.

See you in the next thread.

—Laney