The Long and the Short of It
I wrote in my 2022 recap that it was a pretty middling year, of getting better but still carrying the after-effects of a rough 2021.
There is no such ambiguity about 2023. This year's been hot garbage and I'm very glad to turn the page on it!
And I won't be passive about it -- the year served as a good reminder that happiness isn't something that comes naturally. That's it's something to fight for. I've started the struggle for that light, and just doing so has helped me feel better at the tail end of the year.
The One Where I Rant About Work
The software industry is something else, let me tell you! Hype cycles lead directly into another, with barely any time to catch one's breath. And no year has made that more evident than 2023, with the tech industry's two big, obnoxious, trends. You know what I'm talking about: Generative AI, and using widespread layoffs to boost share prices. Did I even need to name them?
The company I work for is going hard after that Generative AI hype cycle. For the past year, every event, every announcement, and every promoted project has been on this topic ad nauseam. Just yesterday, our CEO sent us the traditional Happy New Year email. I shit you not, even that rapidly brushes aside the holiday wishes for 5 back to back paragraphs about Gen AI.
Work has made me physically ill at times, from a mix of anxiety, disgust, and despair.
Like, what are we doing here? What is the point of all of these talented people, working tirelessly on building automated disinformation machines?
How laid bare it is, that what companies are incentivized to do and what is desirable for the world are entirely disconnected.
This... sucks ass.
I don't want to be complicit with it, so I'm leaving this year.
I originally tried a little job hunting in 2023 but didn't get far. Times of layoffs aren't the best when looking for someplace new... The postings available were for similarly dubious companies with lower salaries.
But I have a plan.
The Plan for 2024
I recently filed in paperwork to officially register a game studio under the name of "Studios Marée Haute", that I would release Mirama under. It'd be a personal business, allowing me two things:
- Avoid releasing a game under my dorky name
- Have something on my resume for the time after my current employer, but before my next job (if Mirama sales aren't enough to make a living)
Once I have confirmation that everything's in order, then my plan for the year is as follows:
- Make a website for Marée Haute featuring some in-development screenshots of Mirama, to give it that #official look
- For now, keep working on Mirama part-time while avoiding burnout
- In May, leave my current job and make Mirama my full-time thing for at least a year, with the money I've saved up by then
I've been keeping up and updating a budget spreadsheet. I've been under my predictions for spending in December, so things are looking good so far! I won't let myself get into trouble, don't worry. It's a gamble, but I'm going for it with the mindset that I must still land on my feet if it doesn't work out.
When making Mirama my full-time job, I'll free up my weekends to do something other than work guilt-free, which should do wonders for my well-being. That being said, I'm also thinking of making some regular (bi-weekly?) game dev streams to showcase progress.
With the help of the wonderful @ocatg, the studio's got its logo sorted. Priorities!
Marée Haute means "high tide" in French. With the name and illustration, I wanted to evoke something sincere and personal, a chat by the fireside, a moment of reflection by the rising water, smelling the salty breeze...
I'm hopeful that Mirama could be something like that for someone.
Wrapping Things Up
Though undeniably a bad year personally, there are still a few things from 2023 that I feel thankful for.
Through the internet, I've met truly talented, kind-hearted people that I find myself truly lucky to be able to call friends.
My trip to Japan has also been wonderful. I had an absolutely lovely time there, and though it'll take a while before I go again, I definitely want to return. Perhaps visit the northern parts of the country next time.
And, if nothing else, the parts that sucked gave me the resolve to be bolder in 2024. I'm looking forward to seeing how that all shapes up!
Happy New Year everybody. 
