From Gamer to Developer

From dabbling in high school Java projects to establishing a thriving community, my voyage through the realm of software development with SavageLabs has been nothing short of transformational. This venture that took concept in 11th-grade of highschool, propelled me to not only sharpen my skills but also to craft immersive gaming experiences that resonated with thousands.

Inception: Harnessing the Power of Minecraft

My journey began with learning Java from a comprehensive book before swiftly transitioning to the utilization of the Spigot API to develop minor modifications for Minecraft. The satisfaction derived from witnessing my codes spring to life inside a game, as opposed to mundane text outputs, was exhilarating.

The initial fascination rapidly escalated to the creation of full-fledged game modes within Minecraft itself. One such venture was the development of SavageFactions, a plugin facilitating a dynamic environment where players could form factions and compete for territory and influence. The project, hosted on my GitHub repository, encouraged contributions from other enthusiasts, amassing 95 stars and fostering a collaborative learning experience.

Being open-source, it also paved the way for constructive scrutiny, enhancing my expertise in crafting user-centric features and fostering productive collaborations. With nearly 60,000 downloads on SpigotMC, the project stood as a testament to my growing prowess in software development.

Building a Community: Discord and Beyond

Parallel to the development ventures, I orchestrated a Discord community revolving around my Minecraft plugins, nurturing a vibrant hub of over 2,000 members sharing a mutual passion for my projects.

Webstore: A Foray into Entrepreneurship

Venturing further, I re-wrote all my software with major upgrades in feature set and performance. Next, I harnessed ReactJS and ExpressJS to construct a webstore, serving as a dedicated platform to commercialize my Minecraft plugins. The webstore, equipped with OAuth authentication, versatile payment gateways, and automated updates via my TeamCity CI server, not only amplified my understanding of web development but also generated substantial revenue.

Conclusion: A Fulfilling Journey

After a fulfilling span of four years, the journey with SavageLabs reached a juncture where new learning horizons beckoned. Having honed my skills in Java and Kotlin, and successfully establishing a webstore, I discerned the time had come to draw the curtains on this chapter. Despite the shutdown, the knowledge acquired and the memories remain.