TL;DR
Progress has started on my first ever web project: an online video platform that hosts user-generated content going under the name "Project Twiist".
THE BEGINNINGS
I am new to programming.. well, sort of. Ever since I was 11 years old, I had a huge interest in open world video games, specifically the Grand Theft Auto series. The way that the devs were able to create a giant world, completely explorable (within bounds) and filled with things to do, amazed me. The problem? Well there's always some problem, and for me, it was that I was 11, and Grand Theft Auto 5 (the newest addition to the GTA series) was rated M+ (18+). That meant that my parents wouldn't let me play it. I understood where they were coming from, but I repeatedly reassured them that I was not playing for the things getting the 'M' rating, I was simply going to play so I could explore the accomplishment of GTA, as well as yielding the many vehicles throughout the game.
Still: no. My parents, responsibly and kindly, told me to find something else to do. So, I did. I download Unity3d and started playing around. Now, I'm an optimist, as well as a diligent and persistent kid. So when I launched unity.exe for the first time, I thought to myself "how hard could it be?", and boy was I surprised.
Obviously I didn't sit down, 11 year old me, and start coding a GTA V replica, but I sure tried... for a while. I kept running into problems, but slowly I was piecing together a game. Now, here is where I need to be specific: I was piecing together a game. You have to remember that I was not necessarily interested in 'coding' a game, but more so playing GTA V (or any version of it that I attempt to create), therefore I was allowing myself to take many many shortcuts. The discovery of the Unity Asset Store is what really sped things up.
With the assets, I quickly starting piecing a real prototype together, there was an animated character, working weapons, a minimap, a world (not modeled by me!), drivable vehicles, and even multiplayer. I was proud of my creation, but what really was "my" creation.
Although by the time I bought GTA V (15) I had a working prototype of my GTA, I was too interested in the real game to care anymore. BUT, what I did care about, was how much fun 'building' a game really was and how much I enjoyed the process.
THAT is what gave me the urge to code something, make something that I could be truly proud of. That's where I got the idea to create Twiist, an online video platform that hosts user-generated content. A big undertaking? Yes. Was I up to it? Double yes.
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