Open Source Gaming

An Ode

Since my early childhood, I have been fond of gaming and as I grew older I really started enjoying both gaming and coding. And I was quite happy when I created a link to start a game I cherished alot. Later, I started modifying everything on that page and provided mutliple links to multiple pages where I wrote few lines about my favourite games and their hyperlinks to start them. Fun times and curious times when you have just started on your coding bit.

As I jumped in engineering, I lost my touch with my coding but I landed up in a career with alot of coding. But the love of gaming and coding remains. And I was always able to keep them apart, until my brother showed me an eye opener. Unciv, an open source implementation of Civilization building game was available on mobile in a very lite version. Completely lite weight, open source, mod friendly, free and available with out any cost! I lost my mind that a developer went through all this trouble so everyone can play such game. Thats where my love for Open Source gaming began.

There are a lot of open source versions of popular games available today, but most of them are strategy games, because that’s what coders like to challenge themselves with. The beauty of creating a complex engine or the rules that define the game are evergreen. Strategy games like Civilization, Go, Chess and Card Games, Complex Table Top games like Terraforming Mars, Catan and Scythe, and even sandbox games like Minecraft have been poured with love in open source community.

I cannot even imagine the fun, the tears and the joy it brings to a contributor who pours their heart and time in such amazing and beautiful projects. Understanding the existing engines and rules, creating your own engine from scratch if required, implementing and testing it rigorously, following up with beta users and working with other contributors. The heat and challenge is real. And the apprecitation and affection you receive is immense from the community.

Someday, I would like to join this brethren and contribute to this community. Maybe write up my own open source version of one of my favourite game. Until then, I will keep raising github issues and support with some financial aid.