You come back to find that thirty thousand people have played your game on it and left very nice comments, reviews, and lets plays.

Wow, Game Jolt, thank you. Really…

I’ve been hard at work at my day job, writing video games for AAA companies. As I’m sure many people know, working day in and day out as hard as you can tends to grind you down. I just randomly ended up on Game Jolt looking for an interesting small game to play, when the site casually told me… 99+ activity.

Odd! Normally it says like, 3. So, I clicked it and BAZAM! Apparently, between the last time I was on the site and now, people were playing Dead Horizon. A lot.

Itch.Io is probably where the game sold the best. (The soundtrack bit)

Steam is probably where the most people actually played it. (something like half a million + downloads, though of course none of those people bought the soundtrack)

Newgrounds is where the most people gave the game serious reviews.

But damned if Game Jolt isn’t where people put up the most Lets Plays, or just said the nicest things. Everything people said was positive, supportive, and hopeful. People wanting to see more. People showing strangers the game. People talking about how it reminded them of their childhood or saying they liked it even though it DIDN’T remind them of their childhood.

Not only that, but this is the only place where people seem to still be playing the game. People still stumble upon it, people still follow it, people still leave messages.

I don’t know what to say.

This isn’t me just being amazed that the game got some attention. As said, it’s been played by a lot of people. This is… Game Jolt, you have been so nice. So kind, and so sweet. You just seemed to enjoy the game, enjoy someone made the game, and just wanted to say nice things.

I’m really not used to reading through comments and such and not having to mentally shift through the ones that think I should strip my flesh and never have been born from the ones that think the game was pretty okay.

Game Jolt, I don’t know how to say this, but you’re a really swell community. You are not what I’m used to when it comes to games communities. I mean, I’ve noticed it on other games but I had never really consciously thought about it.

It’s been a long month and it’s only half over. I needed this. More over, I know that this wasn’t for me. I know this is just how you are. That… that makes it better.

Thank you. Thank you for actually enjoying weird experimental small games. Thank you for actually enjoying playing games. Thank you for actually enjoying showing off weird things you find to other people. Just thank you.

I drew this stick figure in a cowboy hat saying thanks to show you my thanks.

You will probably not be surprised to learn I was not the lead artist on Dead Horizon.

Well, really. I don’t know how else to say it. Thanks Game Jolt. Stay cool.

-Always

Matthew Ritter