Some of us have been hacking Super Mario World for quite a few years now. How would you say your experience and feelings about hacking the game have changed over time? What initially drew you to hacking the game, and if you still do, what maintains your interest?
For me, I was initially drawn to hacking SMW after playing all the core early Mario platformers. After that, I became very interested in imagining my own Mario levels. I was very happy to discover Lunar Magic, as it finally gave me the chance to edit my favorite Mario game at the time.
When I started out, I didn't take level design very seriously. I just threw together hacks, released them and assumed people would play and enjoy them. In my early days, I'd release hacks very often. My original six hacks, the SMW+ series, were released over a course of two years.
As time went by, I started to take design more seriously. I was interested in pursuing game design for a living, so I wanted to take a more professional approach. Around that time, I stopped hacking SMW and focused more on Yoshi's Island. Once I found this site and saw how many more new resources there were for hacking SMW, that reignited my interest.
Nowadays, I consider SMW hacking an enjoyable hobby rather than a means to something bigger and better. I did work at a mobile gaming publisher in quality assurance for several years and I definitely think playing SMW hacks has given me a more critical eye and stronger attention to detail. My career has since shifted in a different direction, and I've become cool with SMW hacking becoming a thing I do on the side. I've realized now that game development is a very strenuous thing that requires talent from many different people. I'm happy to just keep game designing a leisurely thing. I think more than anything I feel satisfied completing a project and looking back at everything I created.
For me, I was initially drawn to hacking SMW after playing all the core early Mario platformers. After that, I became very interested in imagining my own Mario levels. I was very happy to discover Lunar Magic, as it finally gave me the chance to edit my favorite Mario game at the time.
When I started out, I didn't take level design very seriously. I just threw together hacks, released them and assumed people would play and enjoy them. In my early days, I'd release hacks very often. My original six hacks, the SMW+ series, were released over a course of two years.
As time went by, I started to take design more seriously. I was interested in pursuing game design for a living, so I wanted to take a more professional approach. Around that time, I stopped hacking SMW and focused more on Yoshi's Island. Once I found this site and saw how many more new resources there were for hacking SMW, that reignited my interest.
Nowadays, I consider SMW hacking an enjoyable hobby rather than a means to something bigger and better. I did work at a mobile gaming publisher in quality assurance for several years and I definitely think playing SMW hacks has given me a more critical eye and stronger attention to detail. My career has since shifted in a different direction, and I've become cool with SMW hacking becoming a thing I do on the side. I've realized now that game development is a very strenuous thing that requires talent from many different people. I'm happy to just keep game designing a leisurely thing. I think more than anything I feel satisfied completing a project and looking back at everything I created.