Stay awhile and listen…
No, this isn’t some kind of clickbait. Very soon, I shall be leaving the world of training in order to pursue another life-long dream of mine – becoming a full time indie game developer. The journey has been super intensive, and I feel that I am just about ready now to make that final leap over. To put both foot fully into my game development career, and leave training behind.
Don’t misunderstand. Teaching people stuff is something that I have enjoyed very much indeed. If I could go back in time I would do it all over again. Being a trainer has given me so much over 15+ years.
Here are some of the positives:
I have had the luxury of being in full control of my time. So much so that I can no longer fathom or endure working for anyone else or any company except my own. I have been conducting training on my own terms, and people loved it, and it has been an amazing experience overall.
The respect that comes with the job is really nice, to put it mildly. When people look up to your guidance, it drives the motivation to assist in the best way possible. I have always taken my role seriously. And every single participant who has ever graced the SIGMA classroom will attest to this: My support is endless.
Meeting people from all walks of life is another huge plus. I have had the opportunity to train people from Canada, UK, Indonesia, Tajikistan, South Korea, Singapore, Sri Lanka, India, Nigeria, the Philippines and of course my dear fellow Malaysians. From big bosses to grab car drivers to retirees to everything else in between. You name it. It was a blast. And I loved getting to know every single one you out there. I learnt so much along the way.
Training helped me overcome my introvert ways . I was born shy. I was always that lonely kid in school. I didn’t mind it. I preferred being on my own. And then somehow, somewhere I got into the world of training – a world that invariably demands public speaking, engaging with people and being charismatic. Oh, what a learning curve it had in store for me! I am surely a better person today for what it did.
So why leave all that behind?
Let’s just say that game development has pretty much taken over my life at this point. If I am not eating or sleeping, then I’m either coding or researching game design systems. It has become an obsession. It has always been my dream to become a full time game developer. So this is part of that transition.
My game will be releasing on Steam sometime this year. It is a falling-block puzzle game, similar to Tetris. It’s a couch co-op game and I think its a great spin on the old classic Tetris. Initially I created it to play with my wife – as we both love playing Tetris.
Of course it does not stop there. I have a whole slew of game ideas I want to push out eventually. And I need to work on these things 110% full time. Training has to take a back seat.
But all that and more, is a story for another time.
I have not written anything on my blog for many months. But now as I am about to embark on this new quest, I plan to write a series of articles detailing my journey onwards, to share the game demo once its more polished – and also to announce the eventual fate/closure/sale? of this beloved site.
I will still be conducting training for this year of 2024. I have already closed down the physical classroom (formerly in Kota Damansara). So currently all classes are strictly online only.
If you are interested in joining my course, then this will be the last year to do so before everything shuts down.
Until then, may you too pursue your wildest dreams, relentlessly, tenaciously.
