AyeeJ's Site

Hey everyone — or maybe just future me!

I wanted to start documenting my creative journey properly this time. I’ve had this idea floating around since 2018: a game about being not the chosen hero. You’re not blessed, not prophesied — just a person who gets completely crushed by the big bad at the start and then spends the whole game training to fight back. That theme, “you aren’t the hero… but you could be,” has been stuck in my head for years.

I actually wrote an early draft of the game years ago… and wow, looking back, it was awful. Overly serious, weirdly structured, and dripping with teenage edginess. I hated it. Now, at 25, with a lot more perspective (and a mortgage, dogs, family, bills, and a full-time job), I wanted to start fresh: keep the core idea, but make something more fun, less heavy-handed, and more true to what I actually want to play.

What I’ve done so far

At the start of July, I hit a creative sprint. Over the last week, I’ve written:

• 37 pages in the game design document (“the Bible”)
• 3 pages in a spreadsheet with items, drops, and starting gear
• Drafted the opening cutscene, level themes, enemy types and drops (up to level three), and started fleshing out NPCs (about 10–11 planned)
• Outlined endings, weapon system, inventory, and how choices can branch

There’s still heaps to do — boss loot items, shop inventories for every level, dialogue, balancing — but it’s already so much further than my first draft years ago.

Balancing life and creative work

I’ve been reminded just how hard it is to do this on the side of a full-time job. Back when I was 18 or 19, I had no mortgage, no dogs, fewer responsibilities. Now, juggling writing, streaming, family, and life in general makes it a lot harder. Big respect to every indie dev who does this after hours — it’s exhausting, but worth it.

My process isn’t perfect: I tend to work obsessively in huge bursts until I burn out, then slow down to a more reasonable pace. Right now, I’m still in the burst phase. I’m probably due for a break this weekend (family taco night and birthday plans!).

The road ahead

The game definitely won’t be done for a couple of years — maybe longer. I don’t have a dev team yet; it’s just me, writing and designing. Eventually, I’ll need to think about:

• Funding (maybe GoFundMe or something similar)
• Marketing & merchandise
• Turning this huge design doc into a pitch that isn’t hundreds of pages long

It feels strange, sometimes, not having anything playable yet. But documenting these steps is still progress — and I know that even if there’s nothing flashy to show, I am building something real.

Why I’m writing this

Mostly, this blog is for me — so I can look back and see where I started and what changed along the way. But if anyone else is reading: maybe it reassures you too. Early creative work often feels unrewarding and invisible, but it is progress. Just because I don’t have a prototype doesn’t mean the game isn’t being made.

Anyway — that’s where Unchosen is at right now. Thanks for reading, even if it’s just me reading this back a year from now.