seeing the game in Steam… finding it in the store… pressing “PLAY”… I’m literally sitting here laughing and pulling my shirt up over my face saying “oh my god”, a tear forming in the corner of one eye. it’s so exciting! it’s so crazy!

I just… this has been a really cool experience. it’s been a lot of fun, awesome work, and I WOULD NOT have done it if I hadn’t happened to participate in 2014’s “make a rogue-like in 7-days” challenge: the 7DRL. (Google it! participate!) and I WOULD NOT have done it if I hadn’t had awesome friends – like Stephen, and Katie, and Steve, and Sandy, and my dad – willing to play, and do videos with me on YouTube, and everything else. and I WOULD NOT have done it if groupees.com hadn’t stumbled upon my game and thought “huh, this looks cool; let’s contact this random Ben guy and see if he wants to be in a bundle.” and on and on…

but moreover, while this is in some ways “special”, it’s also quite ordinary! anyone can do this; many people already have. I’ve never thought about publishing on Steam before; I didn’t try to get included in a bundle; I just made a thing, and I kept it making, and people happened to like it. and it still isn’t even THAT MANY people who do. PsyPets, for example, has been way more successful than Mysterious Space (so far :P) and I have made MANY things before that people DIDN’T like, and I DIDN’T keep making, and never got anywhere! and I’ll probably make many more things that similarly go nowhere.

so go! make a thing! participate in funny challenges that force you do things you’ve never done before! if it’s great, keep working on it; if it continues to be great, KEEP WORKING ON IT! publish to something you respect; laugh excitedly; wipe a tear from the corner of one eye!

thanks, 7DRL, and everyone who participates and judges!

thanks, Steve, for reminding me that Mysterious Space existed, and deserved to be worked on!

thanks, Stephen, for all your awesome advice, and doing a YouTube video with me!

thanks, Sandy, Katie, dad… and probably other people. I’m super-sorry and embarrassed if I forgot to list you; I’m a terrible friend.

thanks, Annette, for taking over PsyPets! I could not have taken care of both PsyPets and Mysterious Space; both would have suffered!

thanks, groupees.com for inviting me to be in your sci-fi bundle!

thanks, DDRKirby(ISQ), for making – and continuing to make – AMAZING music for me!

thanks, Markieer, for making a trailer!

thanks, Steam, and everyone who upvoted Mysterious Space, commented on it, and left feedback – good or bad!

thank you, everyone, whatever your level of involvement!

Mysterious Space is now on Steam!