Playdate pre-orders launch today. If you haven’t already, please go and pre-order your device right now. You’ll only regret it if you don’t. One thing that’s special about the device, apart from its incredible retro aesthetic, seasonal games model, and crank, is the fact that it will be open for you to make games in. Soon after launch, Panic plans on letting us all access a simple coding language that will give us a set amount of premade content to work with on our own games. There will also be tutorials to help, but the idea is that you can take it and go off and make your very own game if you want to. This is extremely exciting, and something that’s well worth having a Playdate for.
If you’ve ever thought about making a game, this is the console to try it out on first. The device is built for tiny indie experiences that are exclusive to the platform, and there are more coming to it all the time. I don’t know the ins and outs of it just yet, but I think the idea is that Panic will eventually curate all the titles submitted to them into a list that anyone can play. The good ones might even go on to make some money, but that’s a long shot.
What I want everyone who reads this to know is that Playdate is going to be yet another platform for you to start making games on. I don’t mean current developers, I mean people like me who have never made a game in their life. This device is made for people to experiment with. We don’t need more of the same, we need unique games that break the mold and make use of that mad crank. The audience will be small, sure, but it’s worth reaching out to them if it means you get to create something that stands the test of time.
I for one will be trying to bring stories to this device, despite my lack of coding understanding. The handheld seems like it’s the perfect place for telling little stories, and I want to bring them to as many people as I can through a coding language that makes sense to me. Hopefully, you’ll all join me as well.
