co-creator of [Republic of Jungle](https://republicofjungle.com) indie game developer, software engineer, wannabe writer, fake philosopher, human i like to be a craftsman. my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/moeinpy_/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/moeinpy) | [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/moeinpy/) --- I never forget the first time I saw an Atari 2600. I must've been around 5. At the far end of a dimly lit game club in a small town in north of Iran, just beyond the ping pong tables that was the attraction for my older brother -who had the misfortune of looking after me that day- I saw an old 14" TV with a chubby boy around my age sitting in front of it. It wasn't the colors that pulled me in that direction. The TV was black and white. As I walked closer, I saw the joystick in his hand, wired to a black box connected to the TV. His gaze locked on the screen, his hands frantically moving the joystick, and the little objects on the screen... moving. Instantly, without having seen a video game ever in my life, I knew what I was looking at: Magic. He was playing River Run. No colors, but full of movement. I was obsessed. My obsession with playing video games stayed with me my whole life. Just like any kid, I wanted to know the tricks behind the magic. I wanted to know how the Black Box was built. When I was 15, my parents gave up their resistance and got me my first PC (Pentium IV). Soon after, I learned how to code. Another life-long obsession. For years after, I hacked and built little games, little robots, little websites. Years later, when I got to work at Microsoft as software engineer, it was a dream come true. I was living and breathing where the magicians worked their craft -a place far far beyond reach in my imaginations as a kid. Yet, it only took a few years before my passion and excitement dissipated in a "successful" corporate life and everything that comes with it. I was not present in my own dream. In early 2020, my passion for building and games eventually led me to quit that job and work on one of my prototypes, which eventually led to a remote game studio. It's been a wonderful journey that makes me feel grateful, and I share parts of my story and reflections here. I have spent an astonishing amount of time on Youtube and video games. I like snowboarding, football ⚽, poetry, and cats. I also like to write about games, technology, and personal growth. my [Instagram](https://www.instagram.com/moeinpy_/) | [Twitter](https://twitter.com/moeinpy) | [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/moeinpy/) ![[moein_mirza.jpg]]