Tiny Bookshelf
tinybookshelf.itch.io
Tiny Bookshelf
@tinybookshelf.itch.io
Makin' little games you can play! Run by @ericvbailey.bsky.social. Thanks to @moxiest.art you can now play Type Gun! https://similarbookshelf.itch.io/type-gun

Support small dev teams!
as i work on returning to regular game development (have been on an extended break as i shake off some life/stress stuff), one important mental step i've enjoyed lately: feeling motivated to work on one particular idea because *i want to play it myself*

neat gamedev feel, that
November 12, 2025 at 4:43 PM
Yes, I am on a bit of a game development hiatus.

I am dealing with some Life Stuff which, while not urgent or related to my health, has just kinda left in very much... not in a gamedev headspace, ha.

Honestly it's a blessing to be able to step away at times when I need.
October 14, 2025 at 12:51 AM
gamedev is neat

'cause you can mess up a bit of math and the whole thing breaks and falls apart and stops working and doesn't work

and sometimes even in a way that makes you have to sorta figure out what the heck happened

it's good to learn to love troubleshooting, i think
August 26, 2025 at 4:24 AM
What kind of game do you love to make?
August 20, 2025 at 6:37 PM
✨ ATTENTION INDIE DEVELOPERS ✨

If I emailed you a simple list of questions that I would be genuinely interested to learn your answers (as a fellow dev, as a gamer, as a human being), would you be willing to respond to them if I posted such response on a public blog?
August 19, 2025 at 1:42 PM
NEW READABILITY TEST 📣📢📣📢📣📢

Do you think you recognize all the objects/concepts represented by these icons? 🤔
August 15, 2025 at 2:08 PM
Reposted by Tiny Bookshelf
Over at Tiny Blogshelf I wrote about how I'm bad at drawing trees but I won't get any better at drawing trees unless I... draw trees. Even when it's not what I want to do (because I'm bad at it!).

Then I drew one I liked, and -- learned about life?

tinyblogshelf.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/t...
The Terrible Burden of Drawing a Tree
I wonder how many video games have trees in them. I really do wonder this, in a ‘what specific number?’ way. At some point in the process for thousands of different titles, an artist wa…
tinyblogshelf.wordpress.com
August 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
being a game developer is fun because sometimes your son says "can i play Octobug?" and you can say "yep" 😊
August 15, 2025 at 1:25 AM
Over at Tiny Blogshelf I wrote about how I'm bad at drawing trees but I won't get any better at drawing trees unless I... draw trees. Even when it's not what I want to do (because I'm bad at it!).

Then I drew one I liked, and -- learned about life?

tinyblogshelf.wordpress.com/2025/08/14/t...
The Terrible Burden of Drawing a Tree
I wonder how many video games have trees in them. I really do wonder this, in a ‘what specific number?’ way. At some point in the process for thousands of different titles, an artist wa…
tinyblogshelf.wordpress.com
August 14, 2025 at 9:23 PM
Been making strides in being more disciplined, more consistently using time in gamedev toward focused progress (been going well past month or so!).

... which makes it sting when "life stuff" gets in the way and I have to put development on the back-burner again.

I'm trying, folks! I promise! 😅
August 8, 2025 at 4:39 PM
open world Pac-Man
August 7, 2025 at 6:33 PM
there is a groove you hit in gamedev sometimes where it's like... my quality of work right now may not be the best but, gosh darn it, i sure am iterating quickly

like a pure hack-and-slash flow state haha
August 7, 2025 at 1:25 AM
production timeline goals:

* end of 2025 -- multi-game burst reveal video
* 2026 -- two game releases
* 2027 -- one game release
* 2028 -- one game release

we are sorta on track for this 😶
August 6, 2025 at 1:38 PM
welp

am now not just changing the tone and style of one of my projects but even the whole dang resolution lol

there's a first time for everything i suppose

...

gamedev woooooooooooooo

(officially in my lo-rez era 🥳)
August 6, 2025 at 3:24 AM
no pressure

but if i can pull off a couple pieces of art tonight, i will be completely pivoting one of my projects into a new direction/tone/style

really hoping i can pull it off, will be really cool

(totally, i promise)
August 5, 2025 at 10:54 PM
it's nice to occasionally come across a piece of pixel art that makes you think yeah, maybe i am a little too hard on myself sometimes, just draw the thing
July 23, 2025 at 3:09 AM
pixel art is hard 😭

i cry 😭
July 22, 2025 at 11:18 PM
fun to see my kids' sentiments shift as to which of my games i should be working on more diligently 👀
July 22, 2025 at 4:52 AM
I had a thought: Ah! I'll make 'Sirtet.' It's Tetris, but in reverse!

I go to search, aaand obviously other people have already had the idea.

Interestingly though, none of them are *actually* Tetris in reverse (start with large mass, remove piece by piece under restriction). 🤔
July 18, 2025 at 1:12 PM
no, YOU made two different 12x24 fonts this week
July 17, 2025 at 5:26 PM
although i'm sure my pixel art will (continue to) improve naturally over time, i can't help but feel like my next few games exist very much in a vibe of "just grab a hold of your personal style and stick to it -- for better or for worse" heh
July 17, 2025 at 4:02 PM
gonna do some gamedev tonight 😏
July 17, 2025 at 1:50 AM
It's taken several years, heh. But it feels really good, in my game development... development, to move from challenges that mostly used to be mechanical ("how do I make this move the way I want?") to now largely polish ("ooo maybe I can add a squish-and-sparkle on hit, here").
July 16, 2025 at 4:50 PM
last night i had a gamedev goal

a small goal, but a goal nonetheless

and... i think i hit it

i wanted to do something, and i did it

...

kinda shocked at how well and smooth and seamless it went, this is nice
July 16, 2025 at 1:18 PM