UIBuzz - Software and game development

Software development of any kind is in a difficult place right now. We all have those times we would love to say screw it and move on, but is that really the answer? Probably not, at least not right now. Some thoughts in this episode.

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Why Short Games Feel So Satisfying (for Players and Developers)

In this episode of the UI Buzz podcast, host Peter Witham reflects on the satisfaction of short games compared to long-running open-world experiences like World of Warcraft. He explains how shorter games—often idle or progressive titles found on places like itch.io—can be completed in a few hours or days, letting players finish, enjoy, and move on.

Peter argues these games also benefit developers by requiring less content, enabling clear end goals, and reducing the risk of projects never being finished, especially for solo creators.

He connects this to why game jams work well due to tight time limits that prevent major scope creep. With attention harder to earn and keep, he believes short games can provide a more reliable win for both players and developers.

00:00 UI Buzz Short Games

00:21 Long vs. Short Games

00:52 The Satisfaction of Short Games

01:19 Idle & Progressive Games

02:08 Developer Benefits

03:19 Game Jams & Scope Creep

05:33 Final Thoughts

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Peter returns after a busy summer with a catch-up episode covering two main topics:

• Concept driven mini projects: Instead of building full games or apps, Peter has been creating small, focused projects to explore specific mechanics (like player tracking and object movement in idle/progressive games). These serve as both livestream content and a reusable reference library of techniques.
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• ProjectHack.net goes into production: Peter's hacking-style idle game is now fully released and playable in-browser at ProjectHack.net/game. A major update with missions is coming soon. The game runs on any device via the web, with instant content updates.

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In this episode of UIBuzz, I reflect on a busy month away, share the release of my game MooFO on Itch.io, and discuss my take on AI declaration of use in game development. Including why I think the "AI used" checkbox needs more granularity.

I also open up about intentionally stepping back from side projects, the mental health benefits of that break, and why, honestly, evaluating your numbers matters more than artificial self-imposed pressure.

Play MooFO on the web at https://peterwitham.com/moofo

I sit down with my good buddy Leo G. Dion from the EmpowerApps show to discuss Apple's WWDC 26 developer conference. We cover the announcements and where we think this year will go for developers and users.

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This week, I'm diving into the recent announcement that AI company Anthropic is financially supporting Blender, the beloved open-source 3D modeling tool. Anthropic pledged 240,000 euros as a corporate Patron member — but the community pushback was swift.

Blender responded transparently, apologized to the community, and agreed to seek broader input going forward. The arrangement was also restructured from an ongoing membership to a one-time payment.

My take? Nothing wrong happened here. Blender needs financial support to thrive, and a little community patience goes a long way.

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In this episode, I dive into a fascinating challenge with my hacking game, Project Hack.

A developer played it, wrote a script that instantly hacked all available server money, and exposed a major design problem I hadn't considered.

Now I'm wrestling with how to reward skilled players without breaking the early game experience.

Play the game now on early pre-release on itch.io

I'd love your feedback — https://pwitham.itch.io/projecthack/community

In this episode, I share my surprisingly positive experience diving into 3D game development with Godot.

Despite what I'd read online, performance has been more than acceptable for my current project.

I also walk through my mixed results exporting 3D assets from Unity into Godot — models come in fine, but texturing can be a mess.

I'm seriously considering a ~$30 plugin to streamline the workflow.

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I'm sharing a crucial reminder about data protection: automate your offsite backups now. I've seen too many drives fail over the years.
Whether you're using GitHub, cloud services, or your own home lab, make sure you have encrypted remote backups.
One day, it might save everything you've created.

I'm pivoting my hacking game Project Hack from Unity to web technologies—React, TypeScript, and Vite.

This shift lets players write JavaScript scripts to hack in-game, using the Monaco editor and a custom terminal. I'm building for desktop with Tauri and adding D3.js for network visualizations.

The game now supports multiple playstyles: click-based or code-based hacking. It's live on itch.io in early development. This approach eliminates engine constraints and accelerates feature development.

Check it out at projecthack.net and share your feedback!