Free Again
September 2017
I
In August 2017, integrating what I have learned in building instantAha.com and doing research in the development of sexual orientation, I programmed a game that explores the spectrum model of human sexuality. The game is called Free Again.
It's a puzzle game with a narrative about a cat's journey of regaining freedom from narrowly defined gender expectations and embracing the cat sexuality spectrum.
The game is called Free Again because while children's minds were free from rigid conceptions about the world (sexuality included), adults' hearts are locked by rigid ideas; the spectrum, among other similar ideas, removes some rigidity from how we perceive the world, and make us freer just as we were children.
II
Reading players' comments, I learned that the game is a little frustrating. But they also told me that the game is thought-provoking, unique, enjoyable, cute, fun and carries a nice message.
III
While making this artistic game, I realized that I love programming because I can be creative with it. As I was diving deeper into the creative world of programming, I found algorithm art, generative art, software art, internet art, glitch art, 3D printing art and more. These are the things that will make you love programming.