Welcome to the sixth edition of the Gandi IDE Creators Interview series. x_Infinite is the subject of our interview this time. Meet x_Infinite, a passionate and talented game developer. They began their journey into game development at the age of 8, starting with Scratch 2.0, and quickly discovered a love for creating games. Initially motivated by a desire to find creative ways to enjoy more screen time, x_Infinite has evolved over the years from making simple Scratch games to becoming a skilled coder on the Gandi IDE platform. With continuous skill improvement and the support of a vibrant community, x_Infinite has honed their abilities and developed unique games such as 'Chronostasis' and 'Advancing From Death'. His journey as a creator is a testament to his passion and perseverance. Let's dive into his story!
Interview with x_Infinite
Q: Can you introduce yourself?
x_Infinite: I'm x_Infinite. Originally, I was known by many other names, but I settled on x_Infinite since that was my Minecraft name at the time.
Q: When did you start getting into game development? What sparked your interest in it?
x_Infinite: I got into game development around when I was 8. This means I was there for Scratch 2.0! It sparked my interest because my mom didn't allow me to play video games for long periods, so I would make my own games as an excuse to play video games all day. My first games were very badly coded Fortnite-related games with terrible art since I was still navigating the UI back then. Now, after almost 6 years, I still continue to code in Scratch, just on Gandi IDE instead of default Scratch.
Q: What motivated you to start making games? Do you have any specific goals or visions?
x_Infinite: As I said before, my main motivation to start making games was to find an excuse to play more video games in the first place. 😄 However, I was already interested in computers and coding to begin with, so it didn't take long for me to find Scratch.
Q: How do you balance game development with your daily life, such as your sleep schedule and screen time restrictions?
x_Infinite: I'm very lucky to have little to no limitations on screen time; therefore, as long as I am in the mood with a clear plan, I can sit and code for hours at a time. However, I (like many others) have a huge issue with dedication, so I have hundreds of unfinished games and concepts just sitting in my Scratch and Cocrea accounts.
Q: What tools and software do you typically use when developing games? Do you have any favorite development environments or plugins?
x_Infinite: Before 2023, my only game development software was Scratch. I didn't know of any other Scratch mods at the time (except Turbowarp, but I didn't know you could code on it—I thought it was only used for running games faster.) After I discovered Gandi IDE in July 2023, I slowly transitioned to using it for almost all of my games, the main selling points being its many extensions and real-time collaboration.
Q: Can you share the biggest challenge you encountered during your creative process and how you overcame it?
x_Infinite: Almost always, when I am coding, I suddenly lose motivation, or I just can't come up with any new ideas, similar to a writer's block (coder's block?). If I manage to overcome that, I can probably finish or mostly finish the game I am working on with little issue.
Q: Can you give a detailed introduction to the development process and story behind your game 'Chronostasis'? How did you conceive and design the time control mechanism?
x_Infinite: Back when I was using Scratch, I discovered a way to "screen record" and replay these recordings, which was to save the player's position every frame into giant lists, then play the list backwards when you needed to replay. (There are definitely better ways of doing this, such as keeping track of inputs, but I didn't know these at the time.) Since the jam theme was related to time, I decided to try implementing this system into a puzzle game. I came up with the concept of the bridges, though.
Q: 'Advancing From Death' was completed in a very short time. How did you manage to finish this project under such tight deadlines?
x_Infinite: Advancing From Death is a very simple game at its core: avoid the spikes at all costs, and avoid the blocks if you can. Basically, the entire game was taken from Geometry Dash, so I had an extremely clear plan of how I wanted the game to look. All of the quality-of-life features and customization options were added after the submission to Scratch Game Jam 12, so I didn't actually need to add these details while making the original game.
Q: As a moderator of the Gandi IDE Discord server, how do you perceive the community's impact on your creations? What support and feedback have you received from the community?
x_Infinite: The Gandi IDE community is very supportive when it comes to showing and sharing progress. There is also a sense of friendly competition in the server since seeing others' works encourages me to work on my own projects. The community generally reacts to my projects positively, and some have even remixed my projects.
Q: Besides game development, what other hobbies and interests do you have? Do they influence your creative work?
x_Infinite: My hobbies outside of game development are competitive coding, basketball (yes, I do play a sport as a Discord mod), hanging out with friends (yes, I have friends), playing video games like Fortnite and Minecraft, and more. I take inspiration from my hobbies and sometimes even implement them into my games.
Q: What types of games and works do you enjoy? Are there any developers or community friends you particularly like?
x_Infinite: I usually like hack-and-slash, top-down, and puzzle games, although I have no disdain toward other types of games. In the Gandi IDE server, two developer/friends I have are Exotic Stuffing and Kaplin86. (They're pretty good at Bopl Battle and Content Warning)
Q: Is there anything else you’d like to share with everyone? What are your expectations for your future creations and the development of the community?
x_Infinite: A piece of advice I have for everyone: if you're feeling unmotivated, do something. That'll get you on track for whatever you want to do, whether that's your homework, your game, or something else. Always move forward!
x_Infinite's representative creations
x_Infinite’s YouTube Channel
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