I stared off into the depths of my monitor in disbelief. My game had been ripped off. It was the
last thing any creator wants to see, but the truth was right there in front of me. I sighed, demoralized, and turned off the computer.
From a young age, I’ve always had a niche to create and customize. I was the kid that spent more time in the level editor than actually playing the game. Going to a friend’s house meant no longer playing the actual game, but challenging them to try my latest customized production. I was obsessed with the creative process of game development. Nearly a decade ago, this led me to stumble upon Roblox, an online, social metaverse platform featuring millions of user-created experiences.
It was during my sophomore year that my game development transformed from a casual hobby to a personal vision. Locked away in quarantine, Roblox guided me to discover the seriousness of my creative niche. Specifically, I found myself missing arcades; there really isn’t anything like the vibe of a stroll through the neon on a cool summer night. I knew others missed this too, and so I decided to recreate this experience online myself. This was the beginning of Arcade Island.
What began as a small hobby project evolved into a moderately sized, wholesome online arcade community. I was proud of what my efforts and passion had built. During summer evenings where I would normally be laughing with friends at the arcade, it was comforting to chat with the community I had created online. Supporters of my work we’re excited about my potential growth; my community expanded.
But during one of those same evenings, I was shown something no developer--especially a small developer--wants to see: a blatant ripoff of their game. My community called attention to what had happened, but nothing changed. The platform ignored the evidence of theft. I felt powerless and ignored.
But even though I felt the temptation to abandon the journey and walk away from game development, my community cheered me on. I decided to keep going. It was no longer just about my game, but the passion I had invested in my work. Once again, I experienced a childlike burst of creative excitement. My flame had once again been lit.
The journey to revamp my entire game had begun. I wouldn’t let myself be shoved down, I was determined to swing back harder. A summer of quarantine had now become my summer to create something special. I worked incredibly hard. Writing thousands of lines of code, brainstorming creative design, debugging frustrating errors, planning my workspace, and managing quality assurance testing made that summer the most exhilarating yet exhausting summer of my life. Even when I learned the copycat of my work was bleeding money and eventually discontinued, I did not have any intention to slow down. In September 2020, I proudly released the game.
What followed was a whirlwind of emotion. My game was featured on the front page of Roblox, and then showcased on YouTube in front of millions of people. I felt immense gratitude as I celebrated with my online community of creators. I had built an amazing online community and rebuilt myself with a sense of purpose during the health crisis. Arcade Island grew 300% in under 90 days. The game has now been played over 10,000,000 times, earned me $50000+, landed me an invite to the prestigious Roblox Developer Conference, been featured in an official Roblox event, and has helped land serious connections for future opportunities for what brings me so much joy: creating for other people.
Looking ahead, my mindset to grow and evolve my work and my digital community hasn’t changed. The trequel to my game releases Summer 2022.
