#121 Ben Awad is a GameDev Who Sleeps 9 Hours EVERY NIGHT to be Productive
Apr 26, 2024
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Ben Awad, a game developer, discusses social media challenges, self-learning programming, meme cryptocurrencies, user engagement strategies, coding tutorial imperfections, programming tools, accelerator programs, tech hub cities, and startup challenges in an entertaining and informative podcast.
Community engagement is vital for project success, utilize Discord effectively for announcements and community management.
Diverse tutorial styles blend planning and adaptability, promoting real-time problem-solving and organic content evolution.
Interactivity enhances learning experiences, utilize feedback for swift modifications in tutorials, fostering transparency and problem-solving skills.
Starting a startup requires resilience, flexibility, and persistence to navigate rejection, acceptance, and skill acquisition challenges.
Deep dives
Building Void Pet and Fostering Community Engagement
Ben Awad, a developer with a prolific online presence, details his journey in creating the emotional support Pokemon game, Void Pet. The project gained traction through a viral TikTok campaign and led to high engagement on Discord with over 100,000 members. Ben highlights the importance of continuously building exciting projects to keep a community engaged and talks about leveraging Discord for announcements and appointing a server president to manage the community effectively.
Daily Coding Tutorials and Learning Process
Ben Awad discusses his year-long commitment to posting coding tutorials every day to improve his skills and video-making abilities. He emphasizes the value of showcasing the thought process behind coding challenges and incorporating learning in real time mistakes in his tutorials. Ben's approach involves a mix of planning and organic meandering during tutorials, allowing for flexibility and real-time problem-solving.
Iterative Tutorial Style and Adapting on the Fly
Ben Awad shares his tutorial approach involving a balance between planned structure and adaptive teaching. He illustrates how tutorial content evolves organically during delivery, showcasing real-time problem-solving and refactoring during long-form coding tutorials. Ben demonstrates a concise yet meandered style that allows for immediate adaptability to challenges encountered during the tutorial process.
Engagement with Online Audience and Lessons Learned
Ben Awad emphasizes the importance of engaging with online audiences to gather feedback and inspire content. He recalls instances where community insights led to swift modifications or refactorings during tutorials based on real-time challenges faced. Ben's interactive approach not only enhances the learning experience but also fosters a sense of transparency and real-world problem-solving skills in coding tutorials.
Building startups and coping with rejection
Starting a startup comes with challenges and excitement. It involves navigating rejection and acceptance processes, learning skills rapidly, and adapting to the uncertainties of entrepreneurship. The early stages of a startup require a blend of resilience, flexibility, and persistence to overcome obstacles.
Choosing entrepreneurial paths and experiences in different tech hubs
Selecting the right entrepreneurial path involves considering one's preferences and goals. The dynamics of technology hubs like LA, SF, and Austin vary, catering to different interests, skills, and opportunities. Each location offers distinct advantages and drawbacks, influencing the startup journey in unique ways.
Learning through startup experiences and skill development
Startup ventures enable rapid skill acquisition and empower individuals to take on new challenges. The continuous process of learning and adapting within a startup setting drives personal and professional growth. Startups provide an immersive learning environment that fosters creativity, innovation, and resilience.
Encouragement to pursue projects and embrace challenges
Empowering individuals to embark on new projects and embrace challenges fuels innovation and growth. Encouraging aspiring entrepreneurs to pursue ideas, create games or apps, and confront obstacles head-on cultivates a culture of experimentation, creativity, and continuous learning.
On this week's episode of the podcast, freeCodeCamp founder Quincy Larson interviews Ben Awad, a game developer who creates developer tutorials on YouTube and TikTok.
I hope you enjoy our conversation. Can you guess what bass line I'm playing on my bass during the intro? It's from a 1979 song.
Be sure to follow The freeCodeCamp podcast in your favorite podcast app. And share this podcast with a friend. Let's inspire more folks to learn to code and build careers for themselves in tech.
Also, I want to thank the 8,983 kind people who support our charity each month, and who make this podcast possible. You can join them and support our mission at: https://www.freecodecamp.org/donate
Links we talk about during the interview:
Ben's game, Void Pet on Android and iOS (Built in React Native): https://voidpet.com/
XKCD coming on "Real Programmers" that Quincy mentions: https://xkcd.com/378/
React Native course by Ben Awad: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/create-an-app-that-works-on-ios-android-and-the-web-with-react-native-web/
I can't find my Mac Control hotkeys video tutorial that I mentioned anywhere, so I wrote a quick article explaining how to use these: https://www.freecodecamp.org/news/mac-control-keyboard-shortcuts-hotkeys-that-work-everywhere-in-macos/
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