From daydreaming in class and fitting society’s standards to overcoming burnout and being a chill dev.
Let’s talk about the Pinoy solo game dev DrixDev and how he came to be. Before anything else though, who even is DrixDev to begin with?
Originally, the founder of Drix Studios, an indie game developer that focuses on PC, mobile, and Nintendo Switch games, Justin Hendrix Villagas, or Drix for short, was just another student like you and me. Both being 90s kids, we reminisced about the flash games of old with similar stories definitely being told.
It all started with seeing your classmate or fellow student booting up their PC but what was displayed wasn’t your typical HTML coding class or Microsoft Office suite, but a web browser with flash games. These impressive games, whether they were from Newgrounds, Y8, Miniclip, or even Battleon, piqued his curiosity and sparked his creative side. Being the creative sort but needing to pursue a career that paid well at the time, he took up Computer Science and did game dev on the side. There was a certain prejudice back then (still around today) that creative courses like art or animation couldn’t provide a stable living.
Fast forward to 2012, and Drix’s game dev journey started with Flash games. By 2016, together with Drix Studios, their first game Unaided: 1939, a top-down stealth game (which can still be found on Steam to this day), was released.
The ball kept rolling for Drix Studios as they released their biggest, most ambitious title Grand Guilds in 2020, a game that had been in development for over three years. What makes this even more impressive is that it was made possible through a successful Kickstarter campaign—a feat in itself. But when you look at that timeline, one thing you’d notice is how there was little to no break in between.
If you’re a workaholic, then good for you. That means you could keep going and actually go farther than you’ve ever been—without noticing how far you’ve gone. Even with the grind though, there would always be that looming experience that everybody dreads: burnout.
Am I a man or am I a machine?
Being confined to our day-to-day routines, forgoing other aspects of our lives in pursuit of dreams and ambitions—there’s only so much one can take before needing a break. Drix is not a machine; he’s human, like you and me. As humans, we set aside family, friends, commitments, and other parts of life here and there, but when it gets down to it, we all need a break—and oddly enough, what happened to Drix happened to everyone. The pandemic came.
Taking a break whether you like it or not
I think everyone that was active back then, prior to the pandemic, would agree that the experience was a reset button for everything. Sure, there may have been individuals who didn’t really shift from their day-to-day—like work-from-home introverts—but for the vast majority of us, Drix included, the pandemic was also a time of relaxation, stagnation, and anticipation.
With life at a standstill, Drix did what most gamers would do during the pandemic: hole up and play video games with friends. Pandemic depression and life suppression may have been rampant, but a session with friends was a step in the right direction. As the days went on and the slump faded, the desire to create started growing again—leading to his next side project: the Boss AI Toolkit.
Briefly going into the toolkit—think of it as a guide to help developers set up their boss fights in-game, similar to Souls. Developing this was like an artist finding his paintbrush after years of being separated. For DrixDev, the artist in him missed his canvas—and the developer in him took notice. He created the Boss AI Toolkit, and after that, he found his groove again. Recently, a new game of his, Food Park Manager, was released.
There’s a lesson to be learned from DrixDev’s journey. And while our interview devolved into a storytelling session, it’s something applicable to anyone—both in and out of game dev. It’s to take breaks when you can, and not just to follow molds, but to break the mold.
Go with the flow
Life has a funny way of circling back to what we want as long as we work toward it—and DrixDev’s game dev journey is a testament to that. He kept his whimsy throughout, and it shows even in his recent output. In Food Park Manager, there’s such a thing as an infinity hotdog—a far cry from where he started with Flash games and top-down gameplay.
I asked him what made him different from other developers, and he mentioned that he wanted to make games that he wanted to play at the time. Food Park Manager was inspired by Tavern Master and Two Point Campus—games he played to relax. Apparently, there’s also some real-world inspiration behind the game, too—it was based on experiences with his girlfriend in Greenfield, Mandaluyong.
Before we ended our fun little story session, I asked a bit about the future and for his advice to aspiring game devs. He had this to say:
“Start small and try to finish something. Don’t try to make an MMO or make the next Stardew Valley. Find a strong mechanic or theme and build around it. Everyone has their dream game but don’t spend too much time working on something you don’t have experience in yet. Don’t spend years trying to make a 2D platformer (jokingly)”
And as for the future? There’s something cooking so be on the lookout for it!
For updates and info on DrixDev, check out their links below:
▪️https://bsky.app/profile/drixdev.bsky.social
▪️https://x.com/drix_dev
